Reducing Violence in Hayward, California: Learning from Homicides

This product is part of the RAND Infrastructure, Safety, and Environment working paper series. RAND working papers are intended to share researchers' latest findings and to solicit informal peer review. They have been approved for circulation by RAND Infrastructure, Safety, and Environment but have not been formally edited or peer reviewed. Unless otherwise indicated, working papers can be quoted and cited without permission of the author, provided the source is clearly referred to as a working paper. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors. is a registered trademark. iii Preface This working paper is a descriptive analysis of homicides from 1998 to 2002 in Hayward, California. It complements earlier analyses of violence in several other California jurisdictions, including Attorney's offices, is a strategic, coordinated approach to reducing gun violence in America. The role of RAND researchers in the Hayward project is to provide research and support for the strategic planning components of the initiative. The goals of this program are to (1) increase the capacity of Project Safe Neighborhood task forces to design data-driven strategies that produce measurable decreases in firearms-related crime and (2) improve the long-term ability of federal, state, and local agencies to work together to understand, prosecute, and prevent firearms-related violent crime within their jurisdictions. The purpose of this working paper is to describe homicide violence in Hayward. The analysis described here should be of use to Project Safe Neighborhoods task forces in the San Francisco Bay Area and elsewhere as well as to others interested in crime and safety issues. Readers should understand that this document is a synopsis of analysis done to date and is not a final product prepared for either the funding source or the U.S. Attorney. All opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. This study was conducted within RAND Infrastructure, Safety, and Environment, which is a unit of the RAND Corporation. Among other areas, RAND Infrastructure, Safety, and Environment conducts research and analysis that helps inform policymakers and communities in the area of public safety, including law enforcement, terrorism preparedness, immigration, emergency response and management, and natural disasters; criminal justice, including sentencing and corrections policy, firearms, and community violence; and drug policy, including problems related to illegal drugs and substance abuse. Inquiries regarding RAND Infrastructure, Safety, and Environment …