Contact: Representative Supreme Moore Omokunde (608-237-9117)
MADISON—Today, Wisconsin joins 13 other states who have made a commitment to the safety of their residents by creating an Office of Violence Prevention.
State Representative Supreme Moore Omokunde (D-Milwaukee) said: “The creation of a statewide Office of Violence Prevention (OVP) is a step toward a coordinated prevention and response to all forms of violence. OVPs are premised on the notion that community safety should not be the exclusive province of policing and the criminal justice system and often frame their mission as applying a public health approach to violence reduction, implementing community-based strategies to intervene in or prevent violence for those at the highest risk of engaging in or being the victim of gun violence. Now, the real work begins – I look forward to introducing and supporting violence prevention legislation throughout the 2025-26 session.”
In 2020, firearm related injury became the leading cause of death for children ages 1-19 in Wisconsin and the United States. Firearms kill more than 48,000 people a year with an estimated national cost of $299 billion. In 2022, 848 Wisconsin residents lost their lives due to firearm related injury.
“In accordance with best practices, the next steps of the WI OVP are to:
· Assess and report out on the state’s current landscape of violence prevention.
· Identify which agency has oversight of the office
· Define the office’s authority
· Identify how the office is resourced and staffed
· Identify outcomes and performance measures”