In a recent move to curb teen violence, Gilbert’s Town Council Subcommittee on Teen Violence has laid out a series of recommendations they hope will lead to safer streets for the town's youth. At the forefront of these suggestions, the subcommittee advised increasing the number of school resource officers and ramping up hiring efforts for a community youth engagement officer, according to an announcement on Gilbert's official website.
The Council is also considering the development of ordinances to prohibit juveniles from acquiring brass knuckles and initiatives targeting parental responsibility—an attempt to involve adults more directly in the campaign against teenage violence. The Gilbert Town Council showed some gusto, directing town staff to look into existing community ordinances on brass knuckles and parenting law, possibly as a model for the town's own legislation.
Education seems to be another key strategy, with plans brewing for potential meetings between council liaisons and representatives from Gilbert, Chandler, and Higley school districts. Their aim is to fortify the link between the Town of Gilbert and the local school systems. The recommendations also include the creation of a teen-centric website which would serve as a resource hub.
The Community Engagement Task Force of Gilbert will add this pressing issue of teen violence to their plate. Announced on April 16, the task force is set to expand its ranks to 11 members, including at least four high school teens from Gilbert. Applications for the task force are expected to kick off shortly, with the selection process to include reviews and interviews, followed by formal appointments at a regular Council meeting.
The measures come after the Subcommittee on Teen Violence, which was formed just this past January, endeavored to home in on concerns voiced by the community and to sketch out actionable responses to reduce the violent trends among teens. The Council's Tuesday meeting indicated the next steps involve engagement and concrete policy drafting, with the full list of recommendations now en route to Gilbert’s Community Engagement Task Force for further examination.
