Over the next 18 months the White House will meet with several cities across the country—including Rapid City—about police intervention programs.
It’s part of a strategy to reduce gun violence.
The White House says it anticipates a rise in gun violence this summer.
It’s looking to communities like Rapid City, which are invested in community violence intervention. Rapid City is the smallest community involved.
Rapid City Mayor Steve Allender met with President Joe Biden earlier this week as part of a round table discussion in Washington, D.C.
Allender says a lot of the president’s initiative focuses on bigger cities.
“And I told him this,” Allender says. “With one important exception. That this focuses on community violence intervention. It focuses on identifying offenders and confronting them, partnering with them and mentoring them prior to them committing crimes.”
That’s something Allender supports.
The White House is looking to invest in more community violence intervention programs. Allender says he mentioned several programs Rapid City is involved in, including the Care Campus operated by Pennington County, which provides economic aid, substance-abuse treatment and a safe place for intoxicated people to sleep.