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utilize pre-trial detention which gives no right to bail. Removing the person from the street <br /> breaks the psyche of these individuals. <br /> Ken Cotter, St. Joseph County Prosecutor, stated, As Mr. Johnson explained, collaboration is <br /> important. We actually let groups know what we are going to do. We say. `If your group is the <br /> first to kill somebody, or the most violent,this is what the law allows us to do.' Most of the <br /> members already know because they have been around the block a few times. Most cases result <br /> in a plea agreement. They plead to something less than what the maximum could be. We tell <br /> them, `In these cases, all plea offers are out the window.' We don't give pleas to those <br /> individuals of that group that have been identified as either the most violent or the first. We tell <br /> them that because we are giving them a message: don't become the first or the worst. Go back <br /> and tell everyone else in your group what happens. I come across as the bad guy but I tell you the <br /> thing about this that is different than anything we've done before is that we are partnering with <br /> people that are helping them. I've dismissed tickets for people without a license because they <br /> need to drive to work. Isaac Hunt helps them get their license, we help pay child support, all the <br /> help is there if these folks want to become productive members of society. I'm one of the biggest <br /> proponents of this. <br /> Councilmember Randy Kelly joined the meeting. <br /> Gladys Muhammad, 808 N. Ironwood Dr., stated, I too was skeptical when this program was <br /> first rolled out, they had to prove it to me. I went to John Jay Criminal Justice Institute in New <br /> York because the groups throughout the years have said they will focus on group violence but <br /> there was never a real strategy. I got on board because this is a proven strategy that works. <br /> Mamas Against Violence is a group of mothers whose sons or daughters have been murdered in <br /> the streets, and they share their story with these individuals. The relationship between Law <br /> Enforcement and the Community is really being strengthened by the GVI. <br /> Isaac Hunt, 1805 Western Ave., stated, Bishop Miller was not able to be here today, but he has <br /> been a part of this. These young men need to hear it because it is the backbone of our <br /> community. There is a way out. The Social Services role is one (1) of three (3) components to <br /> GVI. You have the Police Department but you also need to have more voice of the Community. <br /> The City has really strived to improve Social Services. This strategy breaks down barriers and <br /> allows young men into the system. We are not the police,we do an assessment of barriers of <br /> each individual that comes through, we do a one on one, we don't promise jobs. We are one <br /> Social Service Agency. We have more Social Service Agencies in the Michiana Area than any <br /> other place in the United States so it is easy to get these partnerships. But at the same time,these <br /> organizations decided that each one of these individuals that comes through go to the top of the <br /> list. We work with education,job skills,mentoring, and life skills. This is not a hand out, it is a <br /> hand up. We look at eliminating each and every barrier that faces these young men and women. <br /> A big step is also addressing safety and what their responsibility is in staying safe. Instilling the <br /> mission into the clients is what makes the Group Violence Intervention strategy so successful. <br /> Mr. Hunt gave a few personal examples of stories of the type of help they give. He stated, I was <br /> against this at the beginning. But now I know it's a different approach to community policing. <br /> Shootings stop when conversations start, and that's what community policing is about. We are <br /> going in the right direction. <br /> 3 <br />