Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced a reorganization on April 20 that created the Community Violence Reduction Division, which aims to decrease violence by collaborating with law enforcement agencies, public health and community leaders to improve public safety. The division was previously called the Hardcore Gang Division.

The office’s new Community Violence Reduction Division will be comprised of experienced prosecutors who will collaborate with the Los Angeles Police Department.

“By embedding our prosecutors in the communities that we serve, we will be able to get better results reducing and preventing crime by working with all of our community, county and law enforcement partners,” Gascón said. “This community-first model will eventually be used throughout Los Angeles County to ensure our approach is reflective of the particular needs of individual communities.”

The prosecutors will be assigned to the LAPD’s 77th, Foothill and Newton divisions to investigate and prosecute the most troubling incidents of street violence. The division also will seek to proactively prevent crime by working with community-based organizations and with county partners with expertise in victim services, public health and violence prevention.

“The goal of these efforts is to treat community violence through a collaborative public health approach,” Gascón added. “We hope to end the cycle of generational violence and prevent victims from being repeatedly traumatized.”

The district attorney also shifted resources to establish a Community Violence Prosecution Coordinator Program that will serve each of the county’s branch courts and central trial offices. Prosecutors assigned to the program will evaluate, file and try violent crimes not handled by the CVR Division. They will also mentor and train district attorneys in prosecuting those types of cases.

“I want to thank two of our office’s directors, Larry Droeger and Maria Ramirez, for their hard work and diligence in coming up with this approach,” Gascón said. “Our goal is to significantly reduce the rising violence in our communities and to provide timely and much-needed resources to crime victims. Together, we can make lasting changes that will dramatically improve our lives.”