Citizen, the No. 1 public safety app in America, launched today in Newark, in partnership with Newark Community Street Team (NCST), the city’s foremost community-based violence reduction strategy, to create safer communities for city residents.
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The NCST’s staff engages in high-risk violence intervention to mediate ongoing disputes that may result in violence to prevent retaliation. Citizen will provide the NCST violence interrupters with a custom map, informing them of incidents within their designated response areas in real time. Citizen’s rapid alerts will help NCST’s team in tense situations where each second is valuable in diffusing and preventing violence.
While crime in the city is down four percent from 2019, with the lowest crime totals in six decades, serious crime complaints are up 8% compared to this time last year, as the city grapples with the pandemic and associated dislocation. Citizen and NCST’s partnership will help violence interrupters to identify conflicts early, prevent violence more efficiently and effectively and continue to create a safer Newark.
“We take pride in the violence disruption work we’ve put into the community and the foundation of trust we’ve established as an organization, and are excited to expand our partnerships with other organizations, like Citizen, who play a significant role in ensuring public safety for all,” stated Aqeela Sherrills, Director of the Newark Community Street Team.
“Combining the speed of Citizen’s technology with the crucial power of human interaction and experience, this partnership will only serve to help expand the effectiveness of the NCST team’s work,” said Prince Mapp, Head of Community and Culture at Citizen. ”We hope the community safety initiatives practiced by the Newark Community Street Team, and enhanced by Citizen, can be a model for reducing violence and strengthening trust.”
Citizen has seen significant growth in recent months and now has more than 5 million users across 20 cities. Citizen’s work with NCST builds on partnerships Citizen has built with community organizations in New York, Chicago and elsewhere. Citizen creates transparency in the emergency system, helps first responders save lives, and democratizes the flow of information through verified alerts that are pulled directly from 911 communications. All of Citizen’s alerts and content are monitored by a highly-trained, 24/7 team of analysts with career backgrounds across media and public safety to ensure accuracy and clarity.
Newark residents can learn more and download Citizen here.
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