Kansas City, Mo. – The Kansas City Missouri Police Department has announced it's setting aside $300,000 from its budget to support the violence prevention program Aim4Peace. Most public funding for the initiative ran out last spring, but some grants have helped keep it running. Police Captain Rich Lockhart says the department wants to ensure Aim4Peace continues operating because it's allowed for a more holistic approach to fighting crime.
"You're not just arresting and throwing people in jail," says Lockhart. "You're looking for other solutions like mediations, going into hotspots where there may be violent crime going on, and seeing if there is a way to address some of those root causes in addition to the traditional policing."
Lockhart also says the area where Aim4Peace is active has seen a significant decline in homicides. The new police funding marks about half of what the program needs.
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