{"id":64839,"date":"2025-01-21T07:38:42","date_gmt":"2025-01-21T12:38:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/?p=64839"},"modified":"2025-01-21T07:46:26","modified_gmt":"2025-01-21T12:46:26","slug":"utc-announces-launch-of-the-violence-reduction-initiative","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2025\/01\/utc-announces-launch-of-the-violence-reduction-initiative\/","title":{"rendered":"UTC announces launch of the Violence Reduction Initiative"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"UC

UC Foundation Associate Professor Rick Dierenfeldt spearheaded the creation of the Violence Reduction Initiative, a research center addressing violent crime in Chattanooga and beyond. Photo by Angela Foster.<\/p><\/div>\n

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga has officially announced the creation of the Violence Reduction Initiative (VRI), a research center housed within the Department of Criminal Justice dedicated to bridging the gap between academic research and real-world solutions to violent crime in Chattanooga and beyond.<\/p>\n

Led by UC Foundation Associate Professor Rick Dierenfeldt\u2014a former police officer and head of the Criminal Justice department\u2014the VRI will utilize data-driven research to tackle pressing public safety challenges.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe establishment of the Violence Reduction Initiative places our program and University in a position to produce research and policy that address timely, important and highly visible issues,\u201d Dierenfeldt said. \u201cSpecifically, it will make us more competitive for external funding, encourage a higher level of community engagement and support student-faculty research collaboration.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dierenfeldt said the seeds for the VRI were planted shortly after he joined the UTC faculty when he began working with the Chattanooga Police Department (CPD) to implement and evaluate the Scenic City Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC).<\/p>\n

Over three years, Dierenfeldt assisted the CPD by conducting statistical analysis, producing policy-driven technical reports and providing CGIC with new metrics that could be used to guide practices designed to reduce gun violence in Chattanooga.<\/p>\n

The collaboration yielded remarkable outcomes: firearm homicides dropped by 27%, overall homicides decreased by 36% and the number of shooting victims fell by 42%.<\/p>\n

The success of the program led Dierenfeldt to pitch the idea of establishing a research center at UTC to place the Criminal Justice program in a better position to address these violence concerns through the use of data-driven research.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was an opportunity here to expand our reach and partner with more agencies and service providers in the community to pursue more externally-funded partnerships and really embrace this idea of data-informed, evidence-based practice,\u201d Dierenfeldt said. \u201cWhat I ended up pitching to the University was that we could open a research center and use that to focus on relationships with community partners to seek external funding.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dierenfeldt thanked numerous UTC personnel for their assistance in lifting the VRI from conception into reality\u2014including Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Jerold Hale, College of Arts and Sciences Dean Pam Riggs-Gelasco, Vice Chancellor for Research Reinhold Mann, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Research Meredith Perry, Academic Affairs Director of Space Management Theresa Liedtka, and Associate Provost for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Graduate School Ethan Carver.<\/p>\n

\u201cFull credit goes to them for seeing the value in what we were trying to do here and investing in it immediately. I\u2019ve never seen anything move this fast,\u201d Dierenfeldt said.<\/p>\n

\u201cUTC prides itself on doing research that matters, and the work that Dr. Dierenfeldt and the Criminal Justice department is doing is an important social issue that affects not only our community\u2014but every community,\u201d Hale said. \u201cIt\u2019s also a great example of the strong collaborations that UTC continues to have with the community to address issues of importance and interest.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe VRI is a great example of the synergy possible between campus and the community,\u201d Riggs-Gelasco said. \u201cThe research advances the academic discipline while also leading to improvements in the City of Chattanooga.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAt UTC, we demonstrate the value of approaching education and research as inseparable factors transforming lives and advancing the quality of life in our community,\u201d Mann said. \u201cThe Violence Reduction Initiative is a great example of how this works successfully in practice.\u201d<\/p>\n

After getting the approval to move forward in 2024, Dierenfeldt and the VRI sought funding activity\u2014and two grant collaborations have already yielded federal grants.<\/p>\n

First, Hamilton County Alternative Sentencing Programs\u2014in partnership with a Criminal Justice team of Dierenfeldt, Dr. Andrew Denney, Dr. Gale Iles and Dr. Sherah Basham\u2014was awarded an $844,294 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice\u2019s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) as part of the Second Chance Act Smart Supervision Program.<\/p>\n

The three-year project, titled the Recidivism Reduction Initiative (RRI), is designed to improve public safety by reducing recidivism rates among justice-involved individuals in Hamilton County\u2019s misdemeanor supervision programs.<\/p>\n

The RRI, managed through Hamilton County\u2019s Alternative Sentencing Programs, focuses on implementing evidence-based supervision strategies and providing essential services to participants. As the research partner, the Criminal Justice program provides ongoing analysis of program outcomes, including recidivism rates, compliance with supervision and the overall effectiveness of interventions offered to participants.<\/p>\n

The RRI officially launched in January 2025 and runs through September 2027.<\/p>\n

Shortly after learning that RRI had received funding, another award came through\u2014a $1,999,187 grant from BJA for a partnership with the City of Chattanooga for the Chattanooga United to Reduce Violence (CURV) initiative.<\/p>\n

CURV, led by the city\u2019s Office of Community Safety and Gun Violence Prevention, seeks to reduce gun violence in high-crime, high-risk neighborhoods through evidence-based, community-focused strategies. The initiative includes expanding structured after-school activities for youth, providing trauma-informed mental health services, offering wraparound support for families, and deploying violence interrupters\u2014community members trained to de-escalate potentially violent situations.<\/p>\n

Dierenfeldt said the three-year grant will allow UTC researchers to assess the impact of CURV\u2019s strategies and provide data-driven insights to inform future violence prevention efforts.<\/p>\n

Learn more<\/h4>\n

Visit UTC<\/a><\/p>\n

UTC Criminal Justice<\/a><\/p>\n

Introducing the Violence Reduction Initiative: How research is reshaping criminal justice in Chattanooga<\/a><\/p>\n

Hamilton County and UTC receive $844,294 federal grant to support Recidivism Reduction Initiative<\/a><\/p>\n

City of Chattanooga and UTC receive $2 million federal grant for CURV initiative<\/a><\/p>\n

UTC professor, students helping Chattanooga Police decrease gun crimes<\/a><\/p>\n

How to apply<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga has officially announced the creation of the Violence Reduction Initiative (VRI), a research center housed within the Department of Criminal Justice dedicated to bridging the gap between academic research and real-world solutions to violent crime in Chattanooga and beyond.<\/p>\n

Continue Reading <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1493,"featured_media":65201,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_slider":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_featurette":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[122419,70,123864,15,61,3,50311,7712,52,64,48007,8325,72949,661],"tags":[7192,125086,123827,123826,125087,48069,124838,123828,124018,124776,125088,123829,122201,99350,124837,83281,95900,125085,124839,122408,124841,125083,125084],"class_list":{"0":"post-64839","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-academics","8":"category-advancement-and-alumni","9":"category-campus","10":"category-college-of-arts-sciences","11":"category-community","12":"category-criminal-justice","13":"category-criminal-justice-college-of-arts-sciences","14":"category-faculty-and-staff","15":"category-graduate-school","16":"category-news","17":"category-research-academics","18":"category-service","19":"category-social-cultural-and-justice-studies","20":"category-students","21":"tag-chattanooga-police-department","22":"tag-chattanooga-united-to-reduce-violence","23":"tag-creating-the-mocs-experience","24":"tag-cultivating-a-culture-of-innovation","25":"tag-curv","26":"tag-ethan-carver","27":"tag-hamilton-county-alternative-sentencing-programs","28":"tag-leveraging-our-special-place-as-chattanoogas-university","29":"tag-meredith-perry","30":"tag-mocs-learn-mocs-do-mocs-lead","31":"tag-office-of-community-safety-and-gun-violence-prevention","32":"tag-operating-with-excellence","33":"tag-pam-riggs-gelasco","34":"tag-provost-jerold-hale","35":"tag-recidivism-reduction-initiative","36":"tag-reinhold-mann","37":"tag-rick-dierenfeldt","38":"tag-scenic-city-crime-gun-intelligence-center","39":"tag-second-chance-act-smart-supervision-program","40":"tag-theresa-liedtka","41":"tag-u-s-department-of-justices-bureau-of-justice-assistance","42":"tag-violence-reduction-initiative","43":"tag-vri","44":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\nUTC announces launch of the Violence Reduction Initiative | UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - 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