Community-led efforts to curb gun violence in New York City have shown significant success, with a new report from Comptroller Brad Lander revealing that the city's Crisis Management System (CMS) and its Community Violence Intervention (CVI) programs have reduced shootings by 21% in areas where they operate.
The report, released on Monday, estimates that these efforts have helped prevent 1,567 shootings between 2012 and 2024, according to a press release.
The report, The Cure for Crisis, highlights the impact of CMS, while also pointing to major operational challenges that limit its effectiveness. These include inadequate coordination, delays in funding and the absence of a centralized system for tracking data and outcomes.
According to the report, a small percentage of city blocks --about 5%--account for a large share of shootings, with hotspots concentrated in areas such as the South Bronx, East Harlem, Brownsville and East New York. While CMS programs have helped reduce violence in some of these neighborhoods, challenges such as inconsistent oversight and a lack of real-time data-sharing have hindered further progress.
One of the most pressing issues highlighted in the report is the delay in payments to CVI providers. The average wait time for reimbursement has increased from 130 days in 2016 to 255 days in 2024, nearly doubling over the past eight years. Advocates say these delays threaten the stability of programs that rely on city funding.
“Our report confirms what many have long known: community-led solutions are a critical part of the cure to our gun violence epidemic,” said Lander.
The Comptroller’s Office proposed several recommendations, including:
-
Establishing a dedicated team to manage CMS programs, standardizing data collection and improving technical assistance for CVI organizations.
-
Creating a real-time CVI dashboard: Providing organizations with immediate access to crime trends, public health data, and other critical resources to enhance response strategies.
-
Extending CMS programs to neighborhoods like Harlem, Inwood, Washington Heights and Longwood, while increasing funding and staffing in high-risk areas.
-
Implementing a formal 90-day reimbursement policy to ensure timely funding for violence prevention organizations.
