Boston and Dalla, are championing promising public safety approaches Governing reports. In 2023, Boston recorded 37 murders, marking an impressive 82% decrease from 2022. As of last month, the city has experienced only three homicides. Dallas is also on a public safety winning streak. Through April, violent crime was down 19.6% compared to 2023. And the 2023 violent crime rate represented a 13.8% drop compared with 2022. While there is no way to determine what factors cause crime to rise or fall both cities have become national leaders using data. Dallas implemented its 2021 Violent Crime Reduction Plan by dividing the city into 101,000 grids and using evolving data to surge law enforcement and resources. Boston similarly focused on crime data and enhanced its online crime trends dashboard to include detailed information on the location and time for both murders and non-fatal shootings over the past two years.
In addition to data, another component of the plan that Dallas adopted in 2021 to fight violent crime is “focused deterrence.” Citing Boston’s pioneering role in implementing this strategy, focused deterrence initiatives are known for their call-ins through which individuals involved in gang activity are offered a stark choice between services and prosecution while surrounded by crime victims and their families, clergy, service providers and law enforcement. This strategy has been found to produce statistically significant reductions in offending. Both cities are also pursuing another approach anchored in teamwork. Known as “co-responding,” this involves responding to mental health calls with teams composed of both officers and clinicians. While focused deterrence and co-responding involve both police and the community, leaders in these cities recognize that public safety must also include solutions outside of law enforcement. For example, in 2006, the Boston Medical Center launched one of the nation’s first hospital-based violence intervention programs, targeting victims of gun violence with services to reduce the risk of retaliation and increase the odds of positive health outcomes. Research suggests that the programs reduce violent incidents.