High Point Community Against Violence
Making High Point safer for everyone
HPCAV congratulates Curtis Cheeks on his new role as High Point’s Chief of Police. We are fortunate to have an already good working relationship with our new chief, as he has been a part of High Point’s long standing efforts to reduce violent crime through focused deterrence. We appreciate his dedication to his city and to working WITH the community to make High Point safer for everyone. We also appreciate his sense of humor. Best wishes for great success, Chief Cheeks.
High Point continues to grow and HPCAV participates in a variety of community events, consistently presenting our message and inviting everyone to be a part of making High Point safer.
This fall, we had the privilege of talking with Representative Kathy Manning, U.S. House, about gun violence in our area. Chief Stroud, HPCAV members and representatives of other youth-serving organizations participated.
The City’s annual Trunk or Treat event and High Point Police Department’s Community Day brought hundreds of families by our booth, enabling us to share our message with lots of new people.
Most recently we were honored to be a part of a gun violence panel held by the student chapter of the NAACP on High Point University’s campus. It was an evening of thoughtful and hopeful conversation with some of our future leaders.
Each month, the High Point Police Department updates the community on the past month’s activities at the open meeting of High Point Community Against Violence. This information includes overall crime rates as well as activity in specific types of crimes, such as aggravated assaults and burglaries. Key arrests and any federal or state convictions are shared. This meeting allows anyone in attendance to ask questions as well.
These statistics are then shared on the Numbers page of this website.
If you are interested in attending, the open meetings are held the second Wednesday of every month, beginning at 8:30 a.m. at the High Point Police Department, 1730 Westchester Drive, High Point.
Crime Stoppers of High Point is beginning a new program that targets felons who are carrying illegal firearms. Anyone who reports information leading to the arrest of a felon in possession of a gun could earn $500. This effort is based on a successful program by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.
Tips can be made by calling Crime Stoppers at 336-889-4000 or downloading the P3 Tips mobile
app. Tips are always anonymous.
It’s another way our residents can help law enforcement make High Point safer for everyone.
The slow down and isolation of 2020 gave some of our volunteers the time to look back and catalogue what HPCAV has done and meant to our city and the people who live and work here. The end result of that reflection is “Building a Safer High Point.” It’s an easy read and will answer many of the questions you may have about what we do and why. And maybe it will inspire you to join us as we continue working to make High Point safer for everyone.
High Point ended 2020 with a double digit decrease, 10 percent, in violent crime. Violent crimes – homicides, rapes, aggravated assaults and robberies – were down 10 percent. Burglaries, break-ins, larcenies and auto thefts were down nine percent. Homicides alone went from 19 in 2019 to 14 in 2020, not the case in many of our neighboring cities. The Department also seized 433 guns last year.
Interim Police Chief Travis Stroud gave credit to High Point’s focused deterrence strategy as one important reason the numbers went down. Focused deterrence uses data to identify the individuals who commit most of the crimes. Police and the community are able to target those individuals, helping High Point to work smarter to stop and prevent crime.
High Point began using this strategy in 1997. The graph below shows the changes in violent crime and population over the years.
You can read more about the strategy here.
We are proud to share the news that the National Network for Safe Communities (NNSC) at John Jay College of Criminal Justice is launching a new intimate partner violence intervention initiative, based on the successful intervention model we developed here in High Point. Three pilot cities will be chosen to replicate the model. This initiative is being funded by a $1.6 million grant from the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women.
“While we do not receive any of the money,” said Ken Schultz, High Point Chief of Police, “the work and efforts of everyone, to include all of our many partners who have contributed to the success of our program, will now be spread throughout the country and will benefit many more victims of domestic violence.”
On September 24, 2015, the following article was published in the High Point Enterprise, written by the president of the High Point Community Foundation. As a result, one of our clients came in and made a $100 donation to our organization. He explained that he had read the article, thought about it and wanted to give back. We are grateful to both of them!
Giving 101: Best Deal in Town
There has been a seismic shift in the philanthropic landscape over the past ten years that I, coming from a corporate background, have enthusiastically embraced. It’s called “venture philanthropy,” and it is based upon the belief that charitable gifts should be made with the same expectation one might have investing in your own personal stock portfolio.
All nonprofit organizations should have a sound business plan, a means to measure success and a return on your investment. Obviously you won’t be getting a stock dividend, but what you should see, and be able to measure, is a tangible impact. What this philosophy introduces is accountability and it’s a promise that any organization you support should be able to provide.
Now, what if I told you that there is a nonprofit in our community who can promise you multiple million dollar dividends for your investment? Would you be interested in giving to an organization that provides this kind of returns? The organization I am talking about is High Point Community against Violence (HPCAV) and it may be the best “bang for your buck” in our city. HPCAV was established years ago by a group of ordinary citizens who partnered with our High Point Police Department in an effort to make their community a more safe and productive environment to live, raise a family and run a business.
Since its inception, they have been identifying and “calling out” serious offenders, offering them a chance to mend their ways and, if they choose not to, sending them on long-term stints in federal prison. They are proactive in working with those recently released from prison by helping them with housing, food and job training, to acclimate them to society and keep them from reoffending.
Most recently, HPCAV has started using a similar format to address domestic violence, which is not only more prevalent in this community than one would think, but also presents the highest risk to our police officers who respond to the calls. The key to their success in both of these formats is that the focus is rightfully directed upon the offender and they use the power of the courts to leverage reform or remove the offenders from the community.
High Point Police Chief Marty Sumner not only endorses HPCAV, he can show you that this organization saves our High Point well over $14 million a year. It truly is the best deal in town, yet they have always struggled to raise money for their minimal budget. The Rev. Jim Summey, HPCAV’s executive director, is paid by the City of High Point and their annual budget is less than $100,000 a year.
Every citizen, and certainly all of our local businesses, should be contributing to HPCAV annually. This program, which has been nationally and internationally recognized, deserves our admiration and financial support. I encourage each of you who read this article to consider just how much it is worth to you and your family to have a community that is safe from crime. There some things in life we do simply because they are right, true and just. HPCAV is one of these and if you would like to support them send your checks to High Point Community against Violence, 792 N. Main Street, High Point, NC 27262.
PAUL LESSARD, a recipient of the Carnegie Hero Medal and a catalyst for the growth of community outreach programs, is president of the High Point Community Foundation.
On May 1, 2015, HPCAV was presented the 2014 FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award at FBI Headquarters, Washington, DC by Director James B. Comey. HPCAV was selected as the organization in North Carolina to receive this recognition. Board President Gretta Bush, Board members Robert Martin and Chris Martin, Executive Director Jim Summey, and High Point Police Chief Marty Sumner were there to receive the award.
“This year’s honorees have distinguished themselves in remarkable ways through their hard work, their leadership, and their strength of character,” said Director Comey. “They are ordinary citizens, but what they have accomplished is nothing short of extraordinary.”
“We are so honored to receive this award,” said Gretta Bush, HPCAV Board President. “After all these years of working together, it is so nice to see our efforts recognized.”
This special award was created in 1990 as a way to honor individuals and organizations for their efforts in combating crime and violence in America. Nominations are submitted by area FBI Field Offices.
High Point Community Against Violence was formed in 1997.
Preliminary 2014 year end statistics from the High Point Police Department show, once again, that the Focused Deterrence model successfully reduces crime.
Since we started using this model in 1997, High Point’s violent crime is down 67% even though our population has increased by 44%.
Yes, we still have violent crimes take place here. But we continue to work towards less crime and making High Point a safer place for everyone. We’re getting there!