Why is it so hard to end gun violence? Blame distrust in cops, snitch worries and police staffing

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Most of the people who shared their stories about being shot in Harrisburg did not tell police who pulled the trigger.

In fact, 90% of people injured in Harrisburg non-fatal shootings dont cooperate with police, according to police Lt. Kyle Gautsch. Thats because they dont want to be labeled a snitch, and are worried about the ostracism and retaliation they could face while living in a city as small as Harrisburg.

Its a nationwide phenomenon in Black communities where residents often dont trust police because of historic brutality, over-policing of their neighborhoods and the ensuing culture that makes talking to the police equivalent to turning their backs on friends and family.

But reducing the number of shootings in the city without cooperation is nearly impossible, Gautsch said. Shootings can lead to more violence when suspects get away with it and victims or their allies try to exact their own revenge.

Shootings that dont kill are basically failed homicides, according to experts, and should be treated as seriously as killings to combat violent crime. Plus, nonfatal shootings are more prevalent and affect more residents. Studies have shown police could solve many more non-fatal cases if they approached them with the same intensity as they do fatal shootings.

But in many cities, including Harrisburg, non-fatal shootings take a back seat to other crimes when victims and witnesses dont come forward.

This can exacerbate the problem because police may not fully understand the dynamics between groups whose members are shooting at each other, preventing effective solutions. Most of the citys gun violence is due to a small percentage of the population.

Some cities that have poured more resources into investigating non-fatal shootings have shown results. Recognizing this, Philadelphias police department, which typically solved about 18% of its non-fatal shootings, started a new effort this year focusing on solving those shootings as a way to lower the citys spiking homicide rate.

Harrisburg could do the same thing, but the department would need more detectives and more employees in its Community Services Division. Mayor Wanda Williams will include additional positions in her budget proposal for next year, said her spokesman Matt Maisel. But some of these positions will be accounting for vacancies that were created years ago, he said.

Assuming the new positions included in the budget are approved by council, it will take time to fill the slots. Maisel noted that new hires have to undergo six months of training in the police academy before they can start.

As it stands, Gautsch said the department investigates homicides more aggressively than non-fatal shootings, in part because of more evidence and a community push for justice for somebody whos no longer around to advocate for themselves. Its also difficult to keep investigating when the victim does not want to cooperate, and there are dozens of other crimes in the city in which the victim does want legal justice.

We still do investigate [non-fatal shootings] but do we investigate them to the same extent as a homicide? Its hard to tell half my division to keep going out there and investigating when we also have other cases that I have to allocate resources [to]Gautsch said.

Building trust between residents and police is one way to combat the perception that cooperating with police equates to snitching, experts say.

Thats why the city beefed up its community services division in recent years. Capt. Milo Hooper, who oversees the division, said Harrisburg has five community service aides civilian workers who serve as a bridge between the department and neighborhoods. Hooper said one more is in the process of joining the division, and he hopes to have six more on staff in 2023.

Hooper oversees the officers and civilians in the division. These police officers interact with community members, including students, through visits and one-on-one mentoring, he said. On daily patrol, officers listen to resident complaints, help them address issues theyre having with neighbors, or work to find missing children, Hooper said.

These officers also build relationships through everyday activities such as playing basketball with neighborhood kids, and visiting the Harrisburg Boys Club. Hooper said positive police interaction at a young age is key to preventing violence among Harrisburgs children as they grow up.

When it comes to preventing crime, a lot of times you have to plant that seed early, he said.

The community service aides help explain police procedures to community members and connect them with city resources they may need. They also attend community meetings to stay plugged into resident concerns, Hooper said.

They plan the citys popular National Night Out celebration every year and hosted pop-up community barbecues during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It really caused the community to see the officers as people, not robots, Hooper said. It brought the community together and allowed people to realize this community is actually the city, not just uptown, or the Hill, or Southside. Its the whole city.

Thats how youre going to assist in preventing crime. The police really need your eyes sometimes. This is your community and you shouldnt allow anyone to take it from you.

Hooper said community policing is now engrained in the citys training process for newly-hired patrol officers who arent in the community policing division, but are the ones to respond to calls for help and crime scenes.

The community service aides relay the community concerns about law enforcement while training new patrol officers. Your presence alone and how you present yourself is vital to establishing positive relationships with residents, Hooper said.

From the second the officers walk up to a person, we say this is how you should start collecting information, because otherwise it looks like this, he said.

Hooper said hed like to see the Community Services Division build a more cohesive relationship with the Harrisburg School District to bolster police-student relationships. Hooper said the division would also like to hire about eight more officers and seven more CSAs.

A good community policing department brings ownership to the community, he said.

The city also won a $500,000 grant to fight gun violence, which is about to take off, Mayor Williams said, and that will help us find the root of gun violence in the city of Harrisburg, and stop it before it even starts. We are tremendously hopeful this multi-year program will help the city reduce shootings, so that we can celebrate more happy times with families, rather than sending them our thoughts and prayers.

Maisel said the city is finishing interviews for a program director who will oversee the two-year violence interruption program.

The violence interruption program involves bringing in experts from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, according to the citys grant application. These experts will consult with Harrisburg police on violent trends the city is experiencing and propose solutions.

Harrisburg is looking to use street outreach and programs utilizing credible messengers to positively influence the small number of city residents responsible for gun violence.

In addition to paying for the contractor services, grant money will cover the cost and supplies for community service aides to conduct de-escalation and mediation work and expand mentoring services. The city plans to form partnerships with non-profits and will support additional developmental training for ex-offenders.

Dr. Dale Dangleben, the trauma director of Holy Spirit Hospital, has invested in the Harrisburg community and is passionate about curbing gun violence.

Dangleben said a fake carrot has been dangled in front of Harrisburgs Black youth that if they focus their energy on sports or music, theyll become successful. But most aspiring athletes or music artists dont make it big.

If the music and sports dont work out, Dangleben said these children often feel lost, without a path to success in sight. He said more focus should be put on academic programming for Harrisburg children to introduce them to other viable career paths, and help them develop constructive goals more likely to pay off.

Dangleben said, unless you show folks how to be sustained, they are going to keep going to crime.

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