Hampton Operation Ceasefire-CAVIAR Commonwealth Anti-Violence Initiative and Resources
Operation Ceasefire is a violence reduction strategy aimed to combat the rise in gang/group related violence. It involves partnerships between law enforcement, community leaders, and social service providers to address the root causes of violence and engage directly with those involved parties. The Hampton strategy has three major components: prevention, intervention and enforcement.
The prevention component offers two programs within our office, the Junior Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Summer Program (JCAP) and the Educating Kids About Gun Violence Program (EKG). JCAP is a week long summer program where students across the Hampton Roads area are exposed to different career paths within the criminal justice field. The EKG program was developed by the Fayetteville Police Department’s and has been adopted by Hampton’s Operation Ceasefire Initiative. The program is an interactive classroom presentation, targeting 7th grade students, that is led by a trained EKG Team of police officers, teachers, community engagement specialists and community partners. The team uses the EKG curriculum, EKG Kit, photographs, case scenarios, personal stories, and small group discussions to educate students about the medical, legal and emotional consequences of gun possession, gang related violence, and the positive alternatives available.
The intervention component of Operation Ceasefire offers free counseling resources in a group setting for victims or witnesses of crime in the city of Hampton between the ages of 12-25. The youth support group, called Caviar Club, provides necessary mental health services to address the traumatic experiences of youth and young adults. Caviar Club will help identify healthy, effective coping techniques and skills geared to mitigating feelings of fear, anxiety, pain and loss.
The enforcement component of Operation Ceasefire will introduce Group Violence Intervention Call-Ins (GVI). GVI Call-ins communicate three points: A community moral message against violence, a credible law enforcement message about the consequences of further violence, and a genuine offer to help those who want it. Call-ins are by invitation only where each participant will be offered assistance with education, employment, counseling, and healthcare. Each will be warned that from this point forward they will be targeted for vigorous prosecution if the violence does not cease.