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The Safer Communities Blueprint is designed to be "a resource guide to prevent and stop the spread of violence in our communities," according to a news release. Astorino is scheduled to unveil the plan at 10 a.m. at the White Plains Public Library Auditorium, at 100 Martine Ave. in White Plains, according to the release.
"The Safer Communities initiative was launched in January when Astorino brought together schools, civic groups, and the county’s departments of Public Safety, Health and Community Mental Health to develop a multi-pronged plan to address violence – from root causes to consequences – in response to the tragic school shootings in Newtown, Conn.," representatives said in the release. "The Blueprint is an ongoing compilation of best practices that have proven successful in preventing violence combined with a list of resources that are available locally."
The Safer Communities Action Network, a group of 40 volunteers from around Westchester County, put together the 40-page document after working alongside the departments of Health, Community Mental Health and Safety, according to the release.
“The Blueprint shows how communities can come together to solve problems,” Astorino said in the release. “Westchester was able to draw on local expertise from people who were willing to give freely of their time to make our county a safer place to live and raise our children. The result of their work is that we now have a path to follow for preventing violence and taking advantage of resources that can help with a wide spectrum of problems, ranging from bullying, to domestic violence to mental illness. We can’t stop every act of violence. But we can tap our collective strengths every day.”
The Blueprint will be unveiled as part of the Fall Forum, "a gathering of more than 100 mental health professionals, educators, law enforcement officials and community leaders," according to the release.
“The Safer Communities initiative represents a unique countywide effort to combat bullying, terroristic attacks, domestic violence, street crime, and other forms of violence using cutting-edge knowledge derived from best practices in public health,” said Jonathan Fast, an expert and author on adolescent violence, according to the release. “That so many people of different professions—law enforcement, academic researchers, educators, health workers, and others—could collaborate so productively over a short period of time is a testimony to excellent organization and dynamic leadership.”
The Blueprint is scheduled to be available online on Monday at the Westchester County government website.
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