<div style="margin-top: 20px;"><img src="https://www.como.gov/CMS/pressreleases/citylogo-cm.png" alt="City of Columbia Missouri City Manager's Office" width="175" height="101" style="margin-right: 5px;">
<div style="float: right; margin-right: 0px; margin-left:20px; width:106px; height: 116px;"></div>
<div style="padding-top:40px;
text-align:center;">
<p style="font-weight:bold; display: inline; line-height:150%; font-size: 115%;">P.O. BOX 6015 COLUMBIA, MO 65205</p></div>
</div>
<div style="clear:both; text-align:center; padding-top: 20px;">
<p style="font-size: 150%; font-weight: bold;">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE</p>
<p style="font-size: 120%; margin-top: -5px; font-weight:bold;">September 29, 2026</p>
<p style="float:right; font-weight:bold; margin-bottom: 25px; font-size: 100%; text-align:right;">CONTACT: Christopher Ave <br />Director <br />Communications Department <br />City of Columbia <br />Christopher.Ave@CoMo.gov <br />573.874.7330</p>
</div>
<div style="font-size: 110%; line-height:150%;"><h1 style="clear:both; margin-top: 75px; margin-bottom: 10px; font-weight: bold; font-size: 130%;">City of Columbia, NICJR release Community Violence Intervention Landscape Analysis</h1>
<div class="content"><span style="padding-left: 50px;">(COLUMBIA, MO)</span> - <p style="display:inline;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The City of Columbia, in partnership with the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (NICJR), released a comprehensive Community Violence Intervention Landscape Analysis on Sept. 29. The report evaluates the city’s current efforts to address community violence and outlines actionable steps to expand and strengthen local violence reduction work.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The City shared the report’s findings during a presentation geared toward organizations actively engaged in addressing community violence throughout Columbia. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"Our community organizations are doing incredible work, and this analysis shows us how to better support them," said D'Markus Thomas-Brown, administrator of the Office of Violence Prevention. "Targeting our gaps in direct intervention and removing barriers will help us build a safer Columbia."</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The analysis provides three primary recommendations to improve the city's violence reduction ecosystem:</span></p>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Establish infrastructure for high-risk intervention:</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"> The report recommends expanding direct, targeted services - such as street, school and hospital-based interventions - to actively engage those at the highest risk for gun violence, complementing the city's existing prevention efforts.</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Eliminate financial and administrative barriers:</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Specialized violence intervention services should be fully funded and provided at no cost to participants. Agencies and community organizations should also streamline data collection and use common intake forms to improve urgent access.</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Clarify service types and increase collaboration:</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Community organizations should clearly define their roles and focus on their specific expertise. The Office of Violence Prevention will help these groups build stronger partnerships and coordinated referral pathways to seamlessly connect participants with services.</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Columbia Office of Violence Prevention commissioned NICJR in January of 2026 to conduct this analysis of the city’s current intervention ecosystem. This network includes eight community-based organizations providing reentry and wraparound services, alongside numerous other groups focused on community violence prevention and transformation.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">To develop the report, the Office of Violence Prevention convened representatives from 21 community-based organizations, two national nonprofits and community stakeholders in March 2026 to engage with the violence reduction continuum. Following this convening, NICJR conducted in-depth interviews with the office's director and leaders from 14 attending organizations and coalitions to gain a deeper understanding of their strengths, challenges and needs.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A full copy of the report is attached to this release.</span></p></div>
<br />
<div class="content"></div>
<br />
<div class="attachments">This release has the following attachments:<br /><br /><a style="white-space:nowrap" href="https://www.como.gov/CMS/pressreleases/downloadfile.php?id=3682">Community Violence Intervention Landscape Analysis</a></div>
</div>
<div id="footerline">
<div style="margin-top: 15px; margin-bottom: 20px; text-align:center;"><p>City of Columbia Vision<br>
<em>Columbia is the best place for everyone to live, work, learn and play.</em></p>
<p>City of Columbia Mission<br>
<em>To serve the public equitably through democratic, transparent and efficient government.</em></p>
</div>
<p style="text-align:center;">-30-</p>
</div>
<style>
#pressrelease{ margin:20px; margin-top: 0px;}
.attachments{margin-top: -10px;}
@media print {
body {font-size: 90%; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;}
#pressrelease{ margin: 0px; }
}
</style><p><a style="white-space:nowrap" href="https://www.como.gov/CMS/pressreleases/view.php?id=9862">View this release on CoMO.gov or access a sharable link.</a></p><p>______________________________________________________</p>
<p>You have received this message because you subscribe to the City of Columbia's Web Mail service. To view linked material click on provided links or copy and paste them into your browser's address menu.</p>
<p>______________________________________________________</p>
<p>Archived releases can be viewed online at:
https://www.como.gov/CMS/pressreleases/directory.php</p>
<p>______________________________________________________</p>
<p>If you would like to stop receiving messages, modify list options, or subscribe to other lists visit the Web Mail section of our Web site and follow the instructions provided at https://www.como.gov/Web_Mail/ </p><style>div{margin: 10px;}</style>