Authors
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Rob Wilcox
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Greg Jackson
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Sunwoo Oh
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Daniela Gilbert
Building Public Safety Anchor Institutions Lessons from the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention
Overview
Every day, gun violence leaves communities grieving and searching for solutions. It reflects multiple system failures, affects nearly every community, and exposes the limits of fragmented government responses. A coordinated, whole-of-government approach—a strategy that brings together multiple agencies to coordinate efforts—can address immediate safety concerns while building long-term infrastructure to reduce violence. Public safety anchor institutions (PSAIs)—cabinet-level agencies that manage safety strategies—are central to this approach. They ensure that safety is sustained, accountable, and rooted in community well-being. PSAIs can oversee community violence intervention, alternative first response, and services for crime survivors, making safety proactive rather than reactive.
This report draws on lessons learned from the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention (WHOGVP), which can inform the design and implementation of state-level PSAIs. By leveraging the full capacity of government to protect the public, WHOGVP offers a roadmap for transforming public safety governance to be more accountable and effective.
Key Takeaway
To build a safer future, cities and states must make a whole-of-government approach permanent. Public safety anchor institutions are a vehicle to do so, transforming safety from a passing priority into a lasting public good.
Publication Highlights
WHOGVP operated as a coordinating force across the entire federal government with a scope that included all forms of gun violence: firearm homicides and nonfatal shootings, suicides, mass shootings, intimate partner violence, and unintentional shootings.
By positioning service delivery as a strategic function, WHOGVP helped restore credibility to the federal government’s role in violence response. States and cities can do the same by building permanent infrastructure to support communities.
WHOGVP worked across the federal government to develop a wide array of policy actions and access points for new and existing resources, including violence prevention and intervention, victim services, and trauma recovery centers.