FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 9, 2019
Special Council on Gun Violence Holds First Meeting at PCCD
Harrisburg, PA – The Special Council on Gun Violence, established through Executive Order 2019-06, held its first meeting today at the offices of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) in Harrisburg.
The Council is led by PCCD Chairman Charles Ramsey. It is tasked studying and making recommendations to reduce and prevent gun violence in the Commonwealth within 180 days of its first meeting.
"The impacts of gun violence are complex and far-reaching, touching every community in our Commonwealth," Ramsey said. "I am honored to serve on the Council with my colleagues to address this public health and public safety crisis."
Special Council members include:
- Mikele Bay, Children's Advocacy Center Advisory Committee (CACAC)
- Marcus Brown, Pennsylvania Homeland Security
- Sen. Jake Corman, PA Senate, Republican Caucus
- Col. Robert Evanchick, Pennsylvania State Police
- Rep. Movita Johnson-Harrell, PA House of Representatives, Democratic Caucus
- Dr. Rachel Levine, Department of Health
- Teresa Miller, Department of Human Services
- Rep. Eric Nelson, PA House of Representatives, Republican Caucus
- Angela Parker-Quarles, Victims' Services Advisory Committee (VSAC)
- Michael Pennington, PA Commission on Crime and Delinquency
- Charles Ramsey, PA Commission on Crime and Delinquency, Chair
- Pedro Rivera, Department of Education
- Jack Rozel, Mental Health and Justice Advisory Committee (MHJAC)
- Helena Tuleya-Payne, School Safety and Security Committee (SSSC)
- Mike Vereb, Criminal Justice Advisory Committee (CJAC)
- Eric Weaknecht, Sheriffs and Deputy Sheriffs Education and Training Board (SDSETB)
- Sen. Anthony Williams, PA Senate, Democratic Caucus
- Robert Williams, Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Committee (JJDPC)
"I look forward to working with fellow Council members and other partners to develop recommendations and a plan that is actionable and can improve safety and security throughout the Commonwealth," Ramsey said. "Our work will be informed by data and evidence, as well as the perspectives of Pennsylvanians."
To inform its work, the Council intends to host regional listening sessions across the Commonwealth later this fall to address community violence, mass shootings, domestic violence, suicide, and accidental shootings in this Commonwealth. PCCD will also launch an online feedback form for members of the public to share their ideas and thoughts with the Council.
The Council will hold its next meeting on December 11, 2019, where it will consider key themes and initial recommendations from workgroups and stakeholder listening sessions. The Special Council will prepare a final report of recommendations for consideration by the Commission at its March 11, 2020 meeting.
In addition to establishing the Special Council on Gun Violence, the Governor's Executive Order also names Ramsey as a senior advisor charged with coordinating and facilitating gun violence reduction efforts and establishes a new Office of Gun Violence Prevention within PCCD.
PCCD's mission is to enhance the quality, coordination and planning within the criminal and juvenile justice systems, to facilitate the delivery of services to victims of crime, and to increase the safety of our communities.
MEDIA CONTACT: Kirsten Kenyon, (717) 265-8505, PCCD