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Community Safety Initiative
A safe and secure community is a strategic goal and top priority for Prince William County. To help accomplish that goal, the county recently launched a new Community Safety Initiative (CSI). We recognize community safety problems are complex and require us to bring all key stakeholders to the table to discuss solutions that fit our community. CSI will bring county agencies and the community together to address safety in the county through collaboration and a proactive focus on prevention, intervention, and diversion.
CSI Approach
Generally, CSI is designed to be a holistic, evidence-informed, equitable and inclusive program. We will use data and active community engagement to determine strategic community safety priorities and focused action plans.
Philosophically, CSI is patterned after a Marine Corps concept called “Left of Bang.” “Bang” represents any negative event that occurs on a timeline. Most community safety approaches are predominantly oriented to the “right of bang.” Arrests, prosecution, diversion, fire suppression and disaster response are all reactions. These criminal justice and public safety responses certainly have value. The county also recognizes the value of focusing efforts on the time before harmful events occur (left of bang), so we can more proactively avoid harmful outcomes.
Key Elements of CSI
Multi-Sector Stakeholders: Including a broad range of public, private and community stakeholders helps us foster authentic relationships to enhance safety, strengthen community resilience and build social capital.
Trusted Messengers and Practitioners: Trusted, credible messengers and practitioners are essential to identifying needs and delivering key intervention elements.
Data-Driven Action: Compiling and utilizing data and research to support decision-making will enable us to effectively address the target factors that impact community safety.
Trauma-Informed Practices: Success in the entire process is contingent upon practices that are culturally competent and responsive to the impact of trauma on individuals and the broader population.
CSI Strategy Implementation Steps
Based on research, identified best practices and our desire to engage our community meaningfully, we have outlined key steps to follow when we approach activities associated with the initiative, which include:
Build Community Collaboration:
- Create a PWC Community Safety Advisory Committee comprised of representatives from public safety, Criminal Justice Services, schools, Community Services, Social Services, public health, housing, faith-based organizations, nonprofits, community-based organizations, businesses, and other stakeholders.
Engage and Assess:
- Actively engage residents and stakeholders to understand their perspectives on and insights into safety in the community and form trusting relationships that ensure equal and active roles throughout the CSI process.
- Compile data and perform in-depth community assessments that identify the root causes of safety problems, assets that can support the CSI strategies, and address gaps and needs.
Plan and Implement:
- Based on the assessment results, determine strategic priorities customized and focused on community needs.
- Create a roadmap and action plan that provide a framework for role accountability, timelines, monitoring and evaluation.
- Implement a Community Safety Plan incorporating community-based intervention and prevention approaches that foster opportunities for positive change.
Ensure Success:
- Continue actively engaging the community and seeking frequent feedback using multiple communication channels.
- Focus on authentic engagement, ensuring all community groups are represented and heard.
- Develop a continuous quality improvement plan to incorporate input and feedback into the strategy.
- Ensure approaches are holistic.
Measure Success:
- Identify and track performance measures; collect and analyze data on the outcomes.
- Create an evaluation plan incorporating process and outcome measures; incorporate equity and inclusion into the evaluation plan.
Create Sustainability:
- Implement a sustainability process, including building relationships with stakeholders from all sectors and identifying CSI champions to gain and sustain community buy-in, support and resources.
- Use performance measures, evaluation findings, storytelling, and culturally literate messaging to demonstrate CSI value.
- Continuously learn and leverage other communities' experiences and efforts.
Community Safety Initiative Advisory Committee
The county intends to form an advisory committee to help further the goals and objectives of the CSI. This group will be able to evaluate data about safety issues, review proposals, ensure quality improvement, assess outcomes and promote initiatives that work. The advisory committee will focus significantly on proactive measures to improve safety, including prevention, intervention, and education.
The committee, comprised of a comprehensive and diverse group of representatives from our community and appropriate governmental agencies, will include at most 20 members and will be managed by the Director of the Office of Community Safety.
Potential topics for CSI:
- Community Violence Intervention
- Traffic Safety
- Active Violence Prevention and Response
- Panhandling
- Substance Misuse
- Human Trafficking
- Other Areas of Community Safety
Next Steps
Prince William County government created the Office of Community Safety and four new community safety positions as part of the CSI program. Mr. Wesley Dawson was hired as the county's first director for the Office of Community Safety in June 2023. The county is currently in the process of hiring the other positions.
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