Officials: 90 offenders notified as part of Davenport’s Group Violence Intervention program

DAVENPORT, Iowa (KWQC) - The Davenport City Council on Tuesday got an update on Group Violence Intervention, a program aimed at reducing violence.

Sarah Ott, the city’s chief strategy officer, told the council that 90 offenders have been notified through GVI since May 2022.

Of those, only four have re-offended, she said.

The city has been utilizing GVI since March 2022. It includes custom notifications, or home visits, to high-risk offenders.

During those notifications, they are given a genuine offer of help from local social services. The services offer them resources to stabilize their life.

City officials said as long as the violence stops, the program is working.

“Because when we’re going out and doing custom notifications, the message is: put the guns down, the violence has to stop, and if they’ve heeded that message, even if they haven’t accepted services, we consider that a success,” Ott said.

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