SUBJECT: Establishment and Activation of the Gun Violence Prevention Emergency Operations Center to Respond to the Gun Violence Public Health Crisis
ORIGINATING AGENCY: Executive Office of the Mayor
By virtue of the authority vested in me as Mayor of the District of Columbia pursuant to section 422 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 24, 1973, Pub. L. 93-198, 87 Stat. 790, D.C. Official Code§ 1-204.22, it is hereby ORDERED that:
I. BACKGROUND
A. The District of Columbia has experienced a sustained and significant increase in homicides caused by guns. A total of one hundred ninety-eight (198) people were killed in 2020, with eighty-seven percent (87%) of those homicides being caused by guns.
B. Shootings in 2020 increased significantly, with a twenty-six percent (26%) increase from 2019 in shooting incidents involving a victim and a thirty-three percent (33%) increase in the number of gunshot victims.
C. The largest mass shooting in District history occurred on August 9, 2020, with at least twenty-one (21) people shot and one (1) death.
D. Gun violence falls disproportionally on our Black community. In 2019, ninety-two percent (92%) of the one hundred sixty-six (166) homicide victims were Black. In 2020, ninety-five percent (95%) of the one hundred ninety-eight (198) homicide victims were Black.
E. Gun violence results in many non-lethal physical injuries and short-term and longterm mental health impacts to victims, their families, and their communities. Addressing the sustained increase in gun violence is a necessity in addressing racial and ethnic health disparities.
F. Gun violence is a public health crisis and an imminent threat to the health, safety, and welfare of District residents.
G. This public health crisis, fueled by illegal firearms being brought into the District from other states, requires a coordinated and comprehensive response that will allow the District government to take actions on immediate timeframes.
II. ESTABLISHMENT AND ACTIVATION OF A GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER
A. A Gun Violence Prevention Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is hereby established and activated, under the direction of the City Administrator, to coordinate the District's response to the gun violence crisis.
B. The goal of the Gun Violence Prevention EOC is to reduce gun violence in the District. In working to achieve this goal, the EOC shall:
1. Focus on the individuals and locations in the District contributing the most to the gun violence crisis;
2. Mobilize the District government, federal criminal justice agencies, residents, community-based organizations, private sector employers, faithbased institutions, philanthropic organizations, and other partners to develop and implement strategies to prevent, respond to, and recover from the public health crisis of gun violence;
3. Establish and use clear, consistent operations and communications protocols for responding to shootings; and
4. Coordinate the development of a long-term strategy to substantially reduce gun violence.
III. EMERGENCY MEASURES AND REQUIREMENTS
A. District agency directors shall designate and detail personnel to staff the Gun Violence Prevention EOC if called upon by the EOC.
B. District agency directors shall authorize temporary personnel assignments within and across District agencies as appropriate to develop and implement the strategies of the Gun Violence Prevention EOC. Agency directors may authorize overtime for activities directly related to the District's response to gun violence, as approved by the BOC.
C. This Order shall apply to all departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the District government as necessary or appropriate to implement this Order.
D. District agencies shall share relevant data and information to the maximum extent possible, and shall expeditiously enter into data sharing agreements and other agreements when necessary for the sharing of relevant data and information. Laws, regulations, and policies regarding the sharing of relevant data and information shall be liberally interpreted to expand access to data and information. The Mayor's Office of the General Counsel shall assist in the coordination of these efforts.
E. The Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, the Department of Public Works, the District Department of Transportation, the Department of Health, the Department of Energy and the Environment, the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration, and the Office of the Attorney General shall expedite enforcement efforts to the maximum extent practicable, including through the use of summary abatement, condemnation, property closures, nuisance property or vacant property litigation, and eminent domain, at any property, business, or other location identified by the Gun Violence Prevention EOC as contributing to the gun violence public health crisis and likely to be in legal or regulatory non-compliance.
F. The Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services shall work with the Gun Violence Prevention EOC to identify nonprofit organizations and other private entities that can partner with District government agencies, including the Department of Human Services, Department of Behavioral Health, Department of Aging and Community Living, Department of Health, Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, and Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants to provide interventions and counseling services to at-risk individuals and their families.
G. At the direction of the Gun Violence Prevention EOC, District government agencies employing violence intervention staff or contractors, including the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services, the Department of Parks and Recreation, and the Office of the Attorney General, shall deploy their staff to any known large gatherings that may violate a Mayor's Order prohibiting mass gatherings, relating to the current COVID-19 pandemic, or may otherwise contribute to the gun violence crisis. Violence intervention staff shall work with event organizers to obtain compliance with the prohibition on mass gatherings. In carrying out these non-law enforcement interventions, violence intervention staff are strongly encouraged to partner with Councilmembers' constituent services staff, Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners, community-based organizations, members of the faith community, and local residents.
H. The Lab @ DC and the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council shall work with the Gun Violence Prevention EOC on evidence-based practices successfully used in other jurisdictions to reduce gun violence.
IV. ORGANIZATION OF THE GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION EOC
The Gun Violence Prevention EOC shall be organized and administered as follows:
A. The general policies and strategies of the Gun Violence Prevention EOC shall be established by an Executive Policy Group, comprised of the Mayor, City Administrator, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services, Mayor's Chief of Staff, Mayor's Senior Advisor, Chief of Police, and Executive Director of the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement;
B. The Gun Violence Prevention EOC shall be led by the Gun Violence Prevention Director, who shall serve as the Incident Commander, and an EOC Manager appointed by the City Administrator; and
C. The Incident Commander and EOC Manager shall establish, as needed, sections within the Gun Violence Prevention EOC, including, but not limited to, planning, operations, logistics, finance and administration, and communications. Each section shall establish subordinate branches and units with staff authorized by section III of this Order, as needed.
V. EFFECTIVE DATE: This Order shall be effective immediately.
DOWNLOAD PDF VERSION BELOW
