The commander of Kansas City’s No Violence Alliance says university researchers have identified what he called a “social network of violence” and it’s starting to collect criminals or convince some of need to change. The murder rate is still expected to rise this year.
As benchmark, Alliance head, Police Captain Joe Mchale says Kansas City has, by percentage, more homicides than the city that epitomizes, for many, deadly Midwestern violence, “let’s look at our numbers compared to Chicago. Murders in Kansas City, per 100 thousand people per year, 22.9. Chicago is 15.9.”
When McHale spoke Wednesday to the City Council Public Safety Committee there had been 72 homicides for the year.
He told them to expect a hundred.
McHale said some answers include UMKC collected data that identifies thousands of social and family connections between criminals and associates, connections used to deliver a message being hammered at them. Take help to change or go to jail or die on the streets.
The intelligence networks spell out a web of connections for every real or potential future criminal.
Networks are used as a tool to contact and convince people the law-abiding path is preferred.
Council members agreed one of the most powerful voices NOVA brings to gatherings of actual and potential violent criminals is Mothers-in-Charge, a collection of women who have lost their children to homicide.
Councilman Michael Brooks said their message is unparalleled for intensity.