KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Knoxville Police Department said a strategy it’s using with help from local leaders on the Violence Reduction Leadership Team is working to reduce gun crime.
The police department's deputy chief says the team has been using a place-based strategy in certain areas of Knoxville, and said gun crime in that area has decreased.
“We knocked on doors in the community and said what do you need to feel safe in our community,” said Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon.
Mayor Kincannon said some of the community feedback they got was from people wanting more police presence.
“It’s not to go in and scorch the earth,” said Deputy Chief Brian Evans. “It’s not to address every violation that we see, but to meet the community where they are.”
Evans also said the new place-based strategy in the seven-and-a-half block area of East Knoxville is keeping people safer.
“We have reduced the gun crime in that area to zero since we started in November," he said.
Officers have also recovered 50 guns since last November, just in that seven-block radius.
But they both say it isn’t just KPD impacting the area, and it wasn’t just crime that people cared about.
“Also to address codes violations and properties and dirty lots,” said Mayor Kincannon. “So, we have worked with entities like Trees Knoxville and Keep Knoxville Beautiful, but also our own public service crews, to keep things looking better.”
They both said involvement by organizations and residents is helping improve areas for the better.
“It’s about our faith-based community going into that area and offering resources to that area,” said Evans.