City of Salisbury news release

SALISBURY — Two years after it was first introduced, the “cease fire” gun violence reduction initiative led by the Salisbury-Rowan NAACP and Salisbury Police Department, will continue in 2021 with a slightly different look.

City and NAACP officials gathered Friday at Zion Hills Apartments to make the announcement.

Introduced in 2019, the Summer Cease Fire was a local initiative to encourage Salisbury youth and adults, to stop gun-related assault during the summer months. The initiative uses data to address gun violence and crime in specific areas as well as community stakeholders who serve as de-escalators in the midst of potentially violent situations between related groups in the summer.

The Salisbury Cease Fire program will continue to use de-escalators, but it will now be year-round. An additional part is the assistance of two dedicated Salisbury Police crime analysts who are housed in the new Rowan Regional Crime Information Center, made possible through federal grants. The analysts benefit the cease fire program by providing real-time and up-to-date data on violent crime hot spots within the city limits. De-escalators will be on call day and night.

“The community has seen much success with the Cease Fire initiative reducing our violent crime issues,” said Salisbury Police Chief Jerry Stokes. “Our continuing partnership with NAACP has been a boon to both the Salisbury Police Department’s community engagement efforts and ability to effectively reduce crime in neighborhoods. We are pleased that we are able to continue on this journey of working together to reduce crime and build lasting relationships.”

Salisbury-Rowan NAACP President Gemale Black said he’s proud to partner again with the Salisbury Police Department and make the cease fire program year-round.

“While working to prevent crime in our City, we encourage everyone to join in and increase volunteer participation so together we can decrease gun violence,” Black said. “The Salisbury-Rowan NAACP will continue to fight for equality for all and hold law enforcement agencies accountable. In addition, we as residents must also hold each person in our neighborhood accountable by working to prevent and report incidents, and contacting de-escalators to assist with conflicts. When we mobilize and work together, we can ensure that gun violence in our community will be at an all-time low.”

The Salisbury Cease Fire initiative is patterned after the “cure violence” model of policing, which identifies violence as a public health issue and develops data-driven strategies to combat the issue.

For more information on the Salisbury Cease Fire program, contact the Salisbury-Rowan NAACP at (980) 234-9843 or email info@salisburyrowannaacp.org.