CAPS

The Coalition to Advance Public Safety (CAPS) is a collaborative effort focused on reducing near-term violence by expanding and strengthening local community violence intervention (CVI) ecosystems across the country. Through CAPS, NICJR, the Health Alliance for Violence Intervention, Community Based Public Safety Collective, and Cities United are partnering to support violence reduction work across eight cities over the course of five years. CAPS partners provide technical assistance (TA), training, and funding to local CVI efforts, partnering with both city agencies and local direct service providers to save lives and heal communities.

City CVI Ecosystem Development

As the lead CAPS provider in Baltimore, Indianapolis, and Oakland, NICJR has focused on developing a strong, cohesive CVI ecosystem in each city. This has included establishing a monthly CVI Ecosystem Coordination Meeting where community-based organizations (CBOs) review recent shooting data and collaborate to meet the needs of specific high-risk individuals and their families. These meetings also often include presentations from CBOs on their work and discussion of local service gaps, challenges, and solutions.

Additionally, NICJR has provided training, individualized TA, and NICJR Giving Initiative funding to each of these CBOs. We have also worked closely with city leadership, local law enforcement, and the Baltimore Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, Indianapolis Office of Public Health and Safety, and Oakland Department of Violence Prevention to strengthen each city’s delivery and coordination of government and community-led public safety efforts.

CAPS Cities have seen historic reductions in violence

Indianapolis

In the first three years after the launch of its Gun Violence Reduction Strategy (through the end of 2024), Indianapolis saw a 29% reduction in murders and nonfatal shootings.

Oakland

Oakland saw a 29% decrease in homicides and a 33% decrease in nonfatal shootings from 2023 to 2024. As of July 2025, the city had seen an additional 24% decrease in homicides and 31% decrease in assaults with a firearm.

Baltimore

From 2023 to 2024, Baltimore saw a momentous 23% year-over-year reduction in homicides and a 34% reduction in nonfatal shootings. As of June 2025, the city had its lowest violence rate of any year on record.

CVI Field Building

NICJR’s CAPS work also includes national collaborative efforts designed to elevate the community violence intervention field.

NICJR and our CAPS partners are working with American Institutes for Research (AIR) on a CAPS process evaluation that will inform our work moving forward and serve as a resource for TA providers across the CVI field. AIR has interviewed a variety of ecosystem partners in CAPS cities to understand their experiences with CAPS training and TA, as well as successes and challenges in CVI implementation. AIR has also interviewed NICJR and the other CAPS providers to explore similar topics, while also addressing the work undertaken to establish CAPS as a cohesive national initiative.

Finally, in partnership with the other CAPS members, we are in the early stages of developing SafeStat, a case management and data dashboard system designed to strengthen community violence intervention ecosystems across multiple US cities. Taken together, these efforts will have deep and lasting impacts on the field of community violence intervention.