Tucson Standard

To end gun violence, the Tucson Police Department plans to join the U.S. Department of Justice's National Public Safety program, as announced at a recent press conference.

“In Tucson, violent crime overwhelmingly is gun crime. That's the case across the country,” Police Chief Chad Kasmar said in a story by KGUN.

The National Public Safety program is a three-year-grant for training police to deal with violent crime, the story said. Federal law enforcement will be connected to Tucson through the program and involve local businesses, community groups and nonprofits to create solutions to gun violence.

In addition, University of Arizona (UA) student Mary Cate Cline also plans to start a "Students Demand Action" group to combat gun violence, according to KGUN.

“People in class, you know, they're afraid. People are afraid to talk about gun violence,” Cline said, noting that UA professor Thomas Meixner was shot and killed in October by student Murad Dervish. "And so, I really felt like that was the last straw for me that something needed to happen," she said.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has worked with more than 50 municipalities through the grant, leading to a reduction in violent crime in most of those cities, KGUN reported. That's thanks to extra training funded through the grant.

“This is a technical assistance grant. So, what it does is it provides nearly $800,000 of technical assistance and training,” Kasmar said in the KGUN article. The grant will join Tucson police with federal agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Drug Enforcement Administration; Federal Bureau of Investigation; and the U.S. Marshals Service to work with the U.S. Attorney's Office in aligning federal enforcement efforts with local priorities, he said.

Another key factor is involving businesses and members of the community to aid in finding "evidence-based solutions" to violent crimes, Kasmar said in the story.

“Increasing police presence doesn't make everyone feel safe," he said. "And, you know, there's been a lot of talk about that at school (UArizona) here, and I think that we need to think of other ways to prevent gun violence."