New Orleans - In a city scarred by violence, crimefighters have tried everything from expanded police patrols to sharp increases in reward offers. Now, there may be a new tactic unlike anything we've seen before. Khalil Osiris is a strong believer in an organization called 'Ceasefire'. It already exists in about 20 different cities across the U.S.
Osiris worked with Ceasefire in Ohio.
Osiris says, "There was a significant reduction in the murder rate for African American males in Ohio. One of the things that's most interesting about the initiative is two of the core components of the Ceasefire initiative which involve outreach workers and what's called interrupters."
The outreach workers are street smart individuals who engage themselves in high risk situations to prevent shootings and murders. The interrupters are people with extensive criminal histories, who infiltrate neighborhoods.
Ceasefire may soon become a reality. Councilman James Carter says the city already has funding to start the program.
Carter says, "We had, last year appropriated 700 thousand dollars towards criminal justice projects. We intend to use some of that money to execute the pilot portion of the Ceasefire initiative here."
What makes Ceasefire so different is that it's not a volunteer group. The outreach workers and interrupters are paid as full time employees. Ceasefire has gained a national reputation for proven success. Now the violence prevention group may take up roots here in an effort to change the mindset of criminals in New Orleans.
