Salem Police Department
333 Division ST NE
Salem, OR 97301

Angela Hedrick, Strategic Communications & Initiatives Manager, 503-763-3465.

Si gusta leer sobre la iniciativa en español, use esta liga.

If you wish to read about the Community Violence Reduction Initiative in Spanish, use this link.

Community Violence Reduction Initiative (CVRI)

CVRI: Working to reduce violent crime in our community

The rise in shootings in Salem and the longer-term upward trend of violent crime are issues that have impacted the entire city for more than a decade. For Salem police officers and staff, there is no higher priority than the protecting life and physical safety within our community. We hear the community voices and share in the concern about increased community violence.

A two-pronged approach: Criminal justice partners at work in tandem with community-led efforts

The Salem Police Department is taking proactive steps to intervene and address these challenges directly in collaboration with our criminal justice system partners, while also working closely with community stakeholders to find a solution that works for Salem.

When the City of Salem's budget constraints led to the elimination of a citywide coordinator for the CVRI program, organizations such as Community Business & Education Leaders (CBEL), Salem Health, and the Willamette Health Council stepped up! CBEL is taking the lead inorganizing community strategies to improve safety for families in neighborhoods most affected by violent crime. The Willamette Health Council and Salem Health are supporting health-focused approaches.

Scroll down further to the CVRI: Origin Story to discover how the initiative started.

Current work in progress

Promising data for CVRI efforts

The annual Salem Police Salem report, Crime in Salem: Exploring the Trends 2025, brought some encouraging news about violent crime. For the first time in over ten years, there was a notable drop in violent crime, decreasing by 20.2%.

The report, which provides both short- and long-term insights into data to identify trends from potential fluctuations, strongly suggests that the efforts Salem Police and criminal justice partners have made to improve safety and accountability must continue.

Safety meetings to reduce the risk of violence

In April 2026, in collaboration with CBEL and the Marion County Juvenile Department, safety meetings began for individuals most at risk of involvement in violence. This evidence-based strategy, also known as a call-in, is designed to reduce recidivism among youth and young adults on probation for violent crimes.

During these meetings, young men connect with concerned residents and law enforcement through respectful and open communication that focuses on helping them weight the consequences of violence crime against the availability of genuine support. The goal is to redirect those at highest risk away from violence and toward supportive interventions that can help transform their lives, creating a safer community for everyone.

CBEL will facilitate two more safety meetings before the end of the year, with plans to expand in 2027 to larger groups and a wider age range, consistent with the data in the original gun violence problem analysis.

Community action at work

Various community action ideas emerged from the town hall-style meetings (details below) that took place throughout 2024. One such strategy implemented by the community was the concept of peace walks.

Salem Leadership Foundation leads efforts to organize community walks across the city—neighbors on foot, walking through at-risk neighborhoods to demonstrate neighbor-to-neighbor support and unity in the effort to reduce violence on Salem streets. Faith-based organizations, such as Oak Park Church, and neighborhood groups, like the Highland Neighborhood Association, actively participate in peace walks.

The walks are ongoing, and you can find dates and locations on the Salem Leadership Foundation website.

CVRI: The Origin Story

Understanding the problem

To develop an effective strategy, the first step is to understand the problem. The second step involves actively engaging with and listening to the community to identify potential solutions and strategies. Step three involves implementing smart strategies with partners to enhance safety and trust simultaneously.

The first step

The first step was to understand the problem through the gun violence problem analysis. Although factors contributing to the increase in any crime category can vary and involve complex issues, there were no clear reasons for the rising rates in Salem. In May 2023, the Salem Police Department initiated the first step to understand the problem by investigating further with a gun violence problem analysis to evaluate the circumstances. The purpose of this independent analysis was to examine incident details to identify and explore characteristics, risk factors, and more.

After the study's findings were published, a broader, collective discussion took place on November 20, 2023, at a special work session on community violence with members of the Salem City Council and Marion County commissioners.

The outcome was a countywide commitment from government officials and numerous partners to work together, focusing on what matters—the community's safety.

Scroll to the bottom of the page to view the gun violence problem analysis and other related documents.

The second step

The second step involved actively engaging and listening to the community to identify possible solutions to implement a strategy for our city.

Over the course of 2024, the City of Salem and the Salem Police Department have worked to foster strong partnerships with community leaders, organizations, and residents to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics at play in our city and to gain support in developing and implementing an intervention strategy.

The first community conversation occurred on Wednesday, March 6, 2024 at 6 p.m. at the East Salem Community Center. The mayor led the kick-off meeting, and the police chief provided the 200 residents in attendance with an overview of shooting data and the criminal justice response to this public safety issue. Ben McBride from Empower Initiative facilitated the meeting, guided the community discussion, and led a question-and-answer session.

Watch the event on CC:Media's online channel.

community, conversation, gun violence, safety, CVRI

We heard from more than 100 attendees at the second community conversation on April 19 at Chemeketa Community College.

The meeting was presented in Spanish with English translation. The participants gathered to hear the findings from the gun violence problem analysis, as well as discuss potential solutions, ask questions, and share concerns. Watch it here.

Three more conversations took place during the summer!

July 19 - Catholic Community Services. Video of the event.

July 31 - Chemeketa Community College. Video of the event.

August 22 - Salem Alliance Church. Video of the event

After the community meetings: The third step

Salem City Council met on November 18, 2024, for a special work session and received the Empower Initiative report, which outlined the feedback from community listening sessions and provided recommendations for a Salem community action plan to address shooting violence.

In 2025, the City of Salem and CVRI stakeholders moved forward with the steps to execute smart strategies to improve community safety and trust.

Scroll to the Current Work in Progress section at the top of the page to learn about the latest CVRI activities.

Helpful reports and information

Community Violence Reduction Initiative: Key Findings

Gun Violence Problem Analysis Report

Gun Violence Problem Analysis - Report Presentation

Empower Initiative Evaluation Report for the City of Salem

Related Messages and Media

Community Messages from the Chief of Police

Chief Womack has published several community messages related to this initiative. In November 2023, he shared an Open Letter to the Community. In March 2024, he released another poignant message to residents.

Media articles and interviews