The Senator Charles E. Shannon Junior Community Safety Initiative grant, totaling $1,754,475, is designed to combat gang violence through an array of prevention, intervention, law enforcement prosecution, and reintegration programs. This grant supports regional and multi-disciplinary strategies to address gang violence and includes various nonprofits and programs targeting young people committing violence and families affected by violence. It incorporates case management, street outreach, intervention programming, community mobilization programming, education and employment programming, and positive youth development and recreation. The competitive RFP process for the grant was also discussed, inviting applications from nonprofits with a strong community interest in addressing and responding to youth violence.

The Boston Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative grant of $44,100, awarded by the United States Department of Justice, focuses on reducing community violence in specific Boston areas by engaging returning citizens in programming that caters to their needs and strengthens support from family caregivers and the community. The Boston Police Department’s role in this grant includes providing necessary crime data for planning and implementation and hiring an intern to support grant activities.

The third grant discussed was the FY 24 CISM Grant of $84,000, aimed at funding access to critical incident stress management and peer support programs to address mental wellness and suicide prevention for BPD officers. This grant is particularly noteworthy for its focus on officers’ mental health. It encompasses an app-based training program for officers and training certified by the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, which covers suicide prevention, addressing addiction, trauma, and stress intervention. The program aims to mitigate trauma exposure and prevent post-traumatic stress injuries, disorder, depression, anxiety, and ultimately, suicide among officers. It includes training in group crisis intervention, suicide prevention, and overcoming trauma to addiction.

The Critical Incident Trust Management program’s primary target is Officer Wellness, aimed at addressing the physiological, mental, emotional, and spiritual health of individual officers. The Struggle Well First Responder Initiative was mentioned as an initiative teaching officers how to effectively navigate trauma and struggles. Council members expressed their support for the program, acknowledging the need to address the mental health of police officers and other city workers. They also inquired about the process for including and funding nonprofits for similar initiatives, as well as the support provided to the families of police officers facing trauma.

Furthermore, the discussion highlighted the critical incident stress debriefing process for police officers exposed to traumatic events. Structured sessions with clinicians and trained peers help officers process and cope with traumatic events they have experienced, such as the death of a partner on duty or responding to calls involving dead children or severe motor vehicle accidents resulting in death.

During public testimony, a representative from the BCF Girls Initiative expressed gratitude for the funding through the Shannon Grant, which enabled them to provide programs and events for girls in the community. They also highlighted their collaboration with Boston police officers for mentorship and workshops. A South Boston resident expressed concerns about safety in the city and stressed the importance of supporting the police, fire, and EMTs, urging council members to prioritize the needs of these essential services.

The meeting also acknowledged the absence of a council president and the receipt of a letter of absence, with confidence expressed in the committee members’ ability to conduct a review of the grants. The presence of several city councilors at the hearing was noted, and the meeting concluded with an adjournment of the hearing on specific docket numbers.