TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — A program in the City of Tucson called Violence Interruption and Vitalization Action or VIVA aims to make the community safer. It utilizes the different departments in the city to target gun violence in Tucson. Right now, Savannah Martinez, the City's emergency manager, says they're specifically targeting four areas: the Fort Lowell Corridor, Grant and Alvernon, 22nd and Prudence and Bilby and Campbell.
"We found that those were the highest gun violence areas," Martinez said. "VIVA is designed to disrupt networks within crime that bring out drug use, gun violence and all those types of crime."
The program involves collaboration from nearly every city department as they work together to fix issues in those areas.
"The police is out on the front lines in terms of enforcement but we have a lot of housing vouchers that are within these apartment complexes," Martinez said.
On the law enforcement side, Tucson Police Department Assistant Police Chief Stacie Schaner said each police squad had a site. And 22nd and Prudence, she said, they were able to shut down an alley way that contributed to crime in the area.
"So in working with the city departments we were able to determine if we close down that alley, we're reducing the ability for criminal activity to occur in that hidden area where it's easier to happen and they they aren't victimizing that apartment complex there," she said.
She said it's about collaboration between departments to target gun violence, but it creates a ripple effect and improves other needs in the areas.
"We want to bring in the right resources to build up the community as a whole," Schaner said. "In coming together, we will make a positive improvement on that."
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