University Receives $1 Million in Federal Funding for Gun Violence Prevention
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal recently visited campus to announce funding for the University鈥檚 Lee College and School of Health Sciences that will support the use of data analytics in helping to prevent gun violence. The grant will also create learning 黑料社s for students 鈥 and the announcement itself has already led to a unique opportunity for one criminal justice major.
March 29, 2023
By Renee Chmiel, Office of Marketing and Communications
U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal with members of the University community.
For Makayla Mansur 鈥25, her life changed forever in December 2012 when a gunman opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., killing 20 children and six educators. Mansur was just a child herself, growing up in a town not far from Newtown.
Mansur says her 黑料社 as a public-school student was never the same after that. She 黑料社d fear and anxiety, she explains, feeling unsafe in a place where she was supposed to be protected and supported. Her mother too, she says, was also nervous when she dropped her off at school after that.
鈥淭o a child, this is terrifying,鈥 said Mansur, of North Haven, Conn. 鈥淭hen I had to watch the nation be shocked over countless school shootings over the years. Children my age were being murdered in a place where they were supposed to learn, grow, and mature.鈥
Mansur, a criminal justice major, says her 黑料社 continues to impact her. She says she has strong opinions when it comes to gun control legislation and finding solutions to gun violence. That鈥檚 why she was interested in attending a recent press conference at the University, during which U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal announced $1 million in federal funding for the University鈥檚 Lee College and School of Health Sciences that will support community-based policing efforts in the Greater New Haven area.
鈥淚t was nice to learn that high-ranking members of Connecticut鈥檚 congressional delegation believe gun violence to be a public health epidemic,鈥 said Mansur. 鈥淎s a criminal justice major, I have been part of many class discussions about how to retroactively prevent crime instead of reacting to a crime that already occurred. This initiative is taking research from our University to come up with programs and interventions to prevent gun violence and future crime.鈥
U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal speaks at the University.
鈥業t takes a whole community鈥
Sen. Blumenthal says the funding aims to help develop strategies that will specifically focus on reducing and preventing gun violence, as well as on community-based policing. It will provide support for the use of data analytics in helping to prevent gun violence and support more staff and critical equipment.
鈥淚t takes a whole community to combat violence, and that鈥檚 the reason why this $1 million is so potentially impactful,鈥 said Sen. Blumenthal. 鈥淭his is a lot of money, but gun violence is one of the biggest problems we face in Connecticut and in our country. Community intervention is one of the potential keys to unlocking solutions.鈥
鈥淭his is a milestone to bring everything together,鈥 said Dr. Henry C. Lee, world-renowned forensic scientist, who joined Sen. Blumenthal at the podium. 鈥淚t pulls together everyone鈥檚 黑料社. Gun violence isn鈥檛 only a Connecticut problem. It鈥檚 a U.S. problem.鈥
Dr. Henry Lee emphasized the importance of gun violence prevention.
鈥楨nable us to better allocate our resources鈥
The funding, explained Sen. Blumenthal, comes from congressionally directed spending 鈥 formerly known as an earmark. By supporting both the Lee College and the School of Health Science, it enables experts with criminal justice and public health backgrounds to take a multidisciplinary approach to gun violence 鈥 an approach the University has long supported.
鈥淲e鈥檙e taking a holistic approach to gun violence,鈥 explained Lorenzo Boyd, Ph.D., holder of the Stewart Professorship in Criminal Justice and Community Policing. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to spend a lot of time training police officers on trauma-informed policing to build bridges between the police and the community. This is another situation in which members of the University of New Haven leave campus, roll up our sleeves, and move into the community to make a difference.鈥
鈥淲e are going to be helping the with the Real Time Crime Center,鈥 added Lisa Dadio, M.S., MSW, assistant dean of the Lee College and director of the University鈥檚 Center for Advanced Policing. 鈥淲e鈥檒l be looking at the data that鈥檚 provided as to where crime is happening, when it鈥檚 happening 鈥 in particular gun violence 鈥 and analyzing those data to have an impact in reducing violent crime in the city of New Haven.鈥
鈥淲e鈥檙e really excited about this opportunity,鈥 said Betsy Francis-Connolly, Ph.D., dean of the School of Health Sciences. 鈥淲e know gun violence is a public health issue, so the unique part of this is to marry public health with public safety and to gather the data to understand and to intervene at the community level.鈥
This funding will offer members of the University community opportunities to collaborate with local community leaders. At least three major community-based clinics will be included in this important work, and it will also include local law enforcement officials, including the New Haven Police Department. Assistant Chief Bertram Ettienne explained that addressing gun violence is complex, as there is not just one answer, but there are many layers.
鈥淲e are optimistic about this partnership with the University,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e expect the data it yields will enable us to better allocate our resources to prevent and solve crime.鈥
Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Dr. Henry Lee.
鈥楬e personally invited me to work for him鈥
The funding will also create a variety of opportunities for students, including at least four paid work-study opportunities, internships, and opportunities to conduct research and independent studies.
The press conference itself has led to a possible opportunity for Mansur, the criminal justice major. When she raised her hand and shared her 黑料社 and views at the press conference, Sen. Blumenthal said that she should be working in his office. She had the opportunity to meet him after the press conference, and Connecticut鈥檚 senior senator was impressed.
鈥淚 will be applying for an internship at Senator Blumenthal鈥檚 office in the fall, since at the press conference he personally invited me to work for him,鈥 said Mansur. 鈥淚 am so excited for this opportunity.鈥
