Evaluation of the York City Police Department's Group Violence Initiative

By Peter Leasure

This study, co-produced by the Drug Enforcement and Policy Center and the York College of Pennsylvania School of Behavioral Sciences and Education Criminology and Criminal Justice Department, evaluated the impact of York City’s Group Violence Initiative on firearm incidents, violent crime incidents, and recidivism. The results of the primary model did not support the hypothesis that the intervention reduced firearm incidents in York City. The results of the primary model also did not support the hypothesis that the intervention reduced violent crime incidents in York City. However, potential violations of assumptions for time series designs and inconsistent regression results did not support strong conclusions regarding the effect of the intervention on the rate of firearm incidents and violent crime incidents. The recidivism rate for individuals involved in call-in meetings was 83.33%. Data recording procedures and data quality meaningfully improved over the course of the project. These improvements allow York City to be well-positioned for future evaluation projects and data-driven policy shifts.

Drug Enforcement and Policy Center. September 2023, 66pg