The East Bay Public Safety Corridor Partnership was born in a bloody weekend of 23 drive-by shootings, mostly by teenagers against teenagers. The violence of that weekend drove home the statistics showing that homicide was the leading cause of death of youth in our communities. The sheer magnitude of what was happening on the streets and the impotence of local law enforcement in the face of the problem led to the formation of the Partnership, a unique collaborative that works across jurisdictional boundaries using multiple disciplines. The key to the Partnership's success is the voluntary participation of multiple jurisdictions with a shared understanding that crime does not respect jurisdictional lines, and a common purpose and willingness to find creative and practical solutions to these problems without adding additional layers of government. By participating, each member of the Partnership does not give up any of the usual rights of their jurisdiction.
Jurisdictions participate because they want to, because they see the value of that participation.
Guided by a council of mayors, city managers, state legislators, police chiefs, school district representatives, youth and county administrators, the Partnership has developed a regional, comprehensive strategy that addresses both law enforcement and prevention of crime. An example of the collaborative's prevention programs is the development of the Corridor's 12-point Comprehensive Youth Violence Prevention Strategy. First, the collaborative went through a strategic planning and needs assessment process. A comprehensive strategy was then developed with the organizational involvement of community members along with over 50 public agencies and the collaborative's administrative arm. The Partnership sought federal and state grants, and work teams were organized with multiple staff from participating agencies to develop and implement the programs.