SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — The New Jersey Office of the Attorney General has created a new division to both reduce violent crimes and support trauma survivors.
Services for crime victims and efforts to prevent crime are nothing new, but those initiatives often operate in silos. The new Division of Violence Intervention and Victim Assistance aims to advance a unified strategy for how law enforcement approaches public safety and advocates for victims, particularly victims of domestic and sexual violence.
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Acting Attorney General Matt Platkin said the division will employ proven strategies to make communities safer by ensuring a statewide coordinated effort.
Not only does violence ruin lives, Platkin said, but it also costs real money. Researchers from the national organization Everytown estimate gun violence costs New Jersey more than $5 billion each year — $168.9 million of which is paid by taxpayers.
Platkin said the initiative also incorporates racial justice, as Black children are 14 times more likely to be victims of gun violence than white children, which then often leads to all sorts of related problems.
Platkin added this is a transformational step for law enforcement in New Jersey.