Boston, Massachusetts

1995–2000

Gang-related gun violence

Boston Gun Project / Operation Ceasefire

Youth gang violence decline of 63% citywide (statistically significant reductions in homicides, shots fired, gun assaults, youth gun assaults); positive effects held for 5 years until initiative was significantly diluted (Braga et al., 2001)

Some evidence that homicide reductions were significant and associated with the focused-deterrence intervention (Rosenfeld et al. 2005).

Time-series analysis; quasi-experiment (Braga et al., 2001)

Braga, Kennedy, Waring, & Piehl (2001); Rosenfeld, Fornango & Baumer (2005); von Ulmenstein & Sultan (2011) (case study narrative)

Boston, Massachusetts

2007

Gang-related gun violence

Operation Ceasefire

Statistically significant 31%-reduction in shootings by targeted street gangs, compared to non-targeted gangs (Braga et al., 2014)

Quasi-experiment and growth-curve regression modeling

Braga, Apel, & Welsh (2013; Braga, Hureau, & Papachristos (2014)

Chicago, Illinois

2003–2004

Gun violence (initiative also entailed gun-interdiction and prosecution strategies)

Chicago’s Project Safe Neighborhoods

37%-reduction in homicides in target areas; 16-34%–reduction in shootings in target areas; little impact on aggravated assault & battery rates, however; evaluation concluded that focused-deterrence strategy likely accounted for most of the positive impact

Quasi-experiment

  Papachristos, Meares, & Fagan (2007); Skogan et al. (2009)

Chicago, Illinois

2009–2010

Gang-related gun violence

Chicago Violence Reduction Strategy (initiative appears to be targeted and intensive law enforcement without community or social-service interventions)

(Insufficient information available)

Unknown

von Ulmenstein & Sultan (2011) (case study narrative only)

Cincinnati, Ohio

2007–2010

Gang-related gun violence

Cincinnati Initiative to Reduce Violence

61%-reduction in homicides involving targeted offenders’ groups 6 months after implementation; however, over time, percentage homicide reduction declined to 35%

Quasi-experiment

Engel et al. (2008, 2009, 2010); von Ulmenstein & Sultan (2011) (case study narrative)

High Point, North Carolina

2004–2007

Drug market and drug-related crime

High Point Drug Market Intervention

26%-reduction in drug-related crime and 57%-reduction in violent crime in initial targeted neighborhood 4-5 years after initial intervention, with no evidence of spatial displacement and some evidence of a diffusion of benefits to nearby areas; similar results obtained for two of three additional neighborhoods; 57% of targeted offenders were charged with some crime after the intervention, and few showed evidence of turning their lives around, but most stopped drug dealing; 12-18%–reductions in violence in targeted areas was statistically significant when compared to non-targeted areas within the city, with little evidence of displacement of violence to other areas, but little evidence of a diffusion of benefits, either

Pre-post intervention analysis; multiple longitudinal methods

High Point Police Department (2000, 2006); Dalton (2003); Frabutt et al. (2009); Frabutt et al. (2004) (process evaluation only); Kennedy & Wong (2009); Corsaro et al. (2012)

Indianapolis, Indiana

1999

Gun violence

Indianapolis Violence Reduction Partnership

Homicides declined by a statistically significant 34% immediately after implementation, through one year

Time-series analysis; quasi-experiment

Chermak & McGarrell (2004); McGarrell et al. (2006); Corsaro & McGarrell (2009a);

Corsaro & McGarrell (2010)

Kansas City, Missouri

2014

Homicide and aggravated assault with a firearm

Kansas City No Violence Alliance (NoVA)

Statistically significant 27% reduction in monthly average number of homicides; statistically insignificant 6% reduction in monthly average number of aggravated assaults with a firearm, but effect diminished over time

Time series and bivariate analysis

Novak et al. (2015)

Los Angeles

2000

Gang-related crime, including violent gun crime in East L.A. neighbor-hood

None

Some reductions in gang-related crime, including violent crime in target area; some evidence of diffusion of benefits, and no evidence of displacement to adjacent areas

Quasi-experiment

Tita et al. (2003); Tita, Riley, & Greenwood (2003)

Lowell, Massachusetts

2002–2003

Gang-related gun violence

Project Safe Neighborhoods

Statistically significant 24%-reduction of gun assaults and 50%-reduction of gun homicides after implementation

Quasi-experiment

Braga, McDevitt, & Pierce (2006); Braga et al. (2008); von Ulmenstein & Sultan (2011) (case study narrative)

Madison, Wisconsin

2011–2013

Repeat violent offenders

Community Against Violence

(internal assessment only; not yet formally evaluated)

(internal assessment only; not yet formally evaluated)

(internal assessment only; not yet formally evaluated)

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Time-series analysis

Kennedy & Braga (1998)

Nashville, Tennessee

2007–2008

Drug market and drug-related crime (with relatively low levels of violent crime) in McFerrin Park neighbor-hood

Nashville Drug Market Initiative

Statistically significant 55%-reduction in illegal drug-possession incidents, 28%-reduction in property crimes, 18%-reduction in police calls for service, and no reduction in reported violent crime in target area, with evidence of some diffusion of benefits to nearby areas

Quasi-experiment; time-series analysis

Corsaro & McGarrell (2009b)

Newark

2004–2006

Gun-related violence

Operation Ceasefire

Small, but statistically insignificant, reduction in gunshot admissions to area hospitals

Time-series analyses

Boyle et al. (2010)

New Orleans

2012-2014

Gun-related violence

Group Violence Reduction Strategy

Statistically significant 17-31% reduction in homicides, compared to other, comparable cities and compared to pre-intervention period within the jurisdiction, with greatest reductions in gang-related, firearm-related, and young Black male-victim homicides

Two-phase quasi-experiment; time-series analysis

Corsaro & Engel (2015)

New York City

2012

Gun-related violence in Brownsville, Brooklyn neighbor-hood

Brownsville Anti-Violence Project

(Impact evaluation not complete)

(Impact evaluation not complete)

Picard-Fritsche, Swaner, & Lambson (2014) (process evaluation only)

Providence, Rhode Island

2006–2007

Drug market and drug-related crime

None

Calls for police service in target area declined 58%, drug-related crime by 70%, and drug complaints by 81% one year after intervention

Simple before-after comparison

Kennedy & Wong (2009) (reporting the data)

Rochester, New York

2003–2004

Homicides of young Black males (many of whom were related to interpersonal disputes and drug-related robberies)

Project Ceasefire

Statistically significant, but modest, reductions in homicides and robberies of young Black males after intervention, but subsequent increases in homicides cast doubt on intervention’s effectiveness; a reduction of homicides of young Black males from 29 to 9 over one year (2003–2004) was a promising development, but aggravated assault rates remained steady

Multiple regression analysis

Delaney (2006); Klofas, Delaney, & Smith (2005)

Rockford, Illinois

2007–2008

Drug market and drug-related crime  in Delancey Heights neighbor-hood

Rockford Pulling Levers Deterrence Strategy

Statistically significant 22%-reduction in non-violent offenses; non-statistically significant 14%-reduction in violent offenses

Quasi-experiment

Corsaro, Brunson, & McGarrell (2009)

Stockton, California

1997–1998

Gang-related gun violence

Operation Peacekeeper

Significant 35%-reduction in gun homicides, with some effects lasting at least several months beyond the intervention

Time-series analysis and quasi-experiment

Wakeling (2003); Braga (2008)

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

2004–2005

Drug market and drug-related crime

New Hope Initiative

Approximately 8%-increase in violent crimes and decrease of 30% in property crimes in target area 3 years after initial intervention

Pre-post intervention analysis

Dalton (2003); Frabutt et al. (2009); Harvey (2005) (process evaluation only)