Lansing and Jackson report a decline in gun violence

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) – Despite the shootings we’re hearing about more often, numbers from newly released crime data show gun violence rates have declined in both Lansing and Jackson. This is largely due to crime fighting organizations, the community and technology.

Lansing and Jackson are two major cities that pride themselves on reducing gun crime. “We haven’t seen a big drop in our non-fatal shootings, but we’ve seen a 50% drop in our homicides,” said Ingham County Prosecutor John Dewane.

“We talk about the reduction in shootings, which is down 53% since 2020, and then when we talk about the number of people shot in a shooting, it’s down 68% compared to 2021,” Aaron said , city spokesman Jackson Dimick.

As shootings continue to be an epidemic, both cities released new information Tuesday that showed reduction efforts are working, from new technologies like gunshot detection devices in Jackson to organizations like Advance Peace in Lansing.

“We are proud to work with people who listen and now their attitudes and beliefs are changing and we hope their behavior will change too. And that’s what we see when you look at these numbers,” Paul Elam said.

Paul Elam of Advance Peace says the organization is one of many organizations helping to reduce gun violence. Ingham County Prosecutor John Dewane agrees and says it’s a collaborative effort.

“Gun violence in Lansing reached unacceptable levels two years ago, and I think the message has been sent to our community that we need to put an end to this and how are we going to do it?” Dewane said.

Dimick says everyone has a different sense of security and releasing the numbers shows what’s actually happening. Although they all say it’s best to focus on the bigger picture. “We should enable our communities to create safe spaces where all citizens and residents can enjoy what we have here in Lansing,” Elam said. “And that’s what this work is really about. So that’s the big picture.”

Prosecutor Dewane says there is a small percentage of people, particularly juvenile offenders, who actually engage in gun violence in the community.

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