If you are in danger, call 911. If you need to exit this website quickly, click on the ESCAPE button. This button will immediately open a browser window for weather.com and replace your current window with google.com.
Skip to agency navigation
Skip to main content

Official website

of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

    The .gov means it's official.

    Local, state, and federal government websites often end in .gov. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania government websites and email systems use "pennsylvania.gov" or "pa.gov" at the end of the address. Before sharing sensitive or personal information, make sure you're on an official state website. 
    PRESS RELEASE

    ICYMI: Lt. Governor Austin Davis Highlights Pennsylvania’s Progress in Reducing Violence and Supporting Victims While Securing Additional Funds to Keep the Work Going

    Harrisburg, PA — This week, Lt. Governor Austin Davis, who leads the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD), took part in two key events highlighting the Shapiro-Davis Administration’s ongoing efforts to reduce gun violence and build safer communities. These events also underscored the Administration’s continued commitment, reflected in the 2025–26 state budget, to securing critical investments in public safety.

    November 20, 2025
    Watch Davis’ Keynote Interview on PACast
    Watch the Webinar Recording on YouTube
    Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis attends the Safer Together Forum, hosted by The Trace, a non-profit newsroom dedicated to investigating gun violence. Trace reporter Mensah Dean speaks with the Lieutenant Governor about making Pennsylvania communities safer, in Philadelphia, PA on November 18, 2025.

    Contact: asindlinge@pa.gov (PCCD) | kirstinalv@pa.gov (LG)  

    Interview In Philadelphia

    The Trace's Safer Together Forum

    Davis participated in The Trace's Safer Together Forum in Philadelphia and spoke on the investments by the Shapiro-Davis Administration, past and current, that are helping to drive the decline in homicides and gun violence across the state. This includes PCCD’s Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) and Building Opportunity through Out of School Time (BOOST) Grant Programs. 

    In Philadelphia, specifically, so far this year compared to 2024, there has been a 15% decrease in homicides.

    Watch the Interview & View Photos
    WHYY Coverage of Event
    Best Practices Webinar

    Center Survivors in Gun Violence Reporting

    Davis and PCCD also partnered with the Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting to host an educational webinar for more than 50 attendees on best practices for trauma-informed reporting in the aftermath of gun violence—a need identified in PCCD’s Resources for Victims of Gun Violence needs assessment.

    The webinar focused on the importance of centering survivors' voices through topics including stats and trends related to gun violence in Pennsylvania, interviewing survivors and families with care, harmful vs. helpful narratives, and avoiding stereotypes and sensationalism. 

    Watch the Webinar on Youtube
    Resources for Victims of Gun Violence

    Strategic investments by the Shapiro-Davis Administration have been making Pennsylvania communities safer, including a 35% decline in homicides statewide since 2022. The recently passed 2025-26 state budget builds on these important public safety investments through the following PCCD programs:

     

    • $5.65 million increase, or just over $62 million total, for the VIP Grant Program. Under Governor Shapiro’s leadership, state funding for the VIP program has increased from $30 million to $62 million, an increase of 107%. 
    • $11.5 million for the BOOST Grant Program to reduce community violence by providing more after-school learning opportunities for young people.
    • $33 million to support local probation, parole, and treatment programs for justice-involved individuals, which opened for counties to apply within days of the budget passing.
    • $10 million for the Nonprofit Security Grant Fund Program to support nonprofit organizations in combating hate crimes by protecting the safety and security of visitors at their facilities. Available funding has doubled for this program under the Shapiro-Davis Administration.
    • $120 million for the School Safety and Security Grant Program to help public and nonpublic schools keep their facilities secure from threats and provide the mental health services and support that our school staff and students need.
    • $9 million transfer for the Victims Compensation Assistance Program, a financial lifeline for victims in the aftermath of crime.

    Media Contacts

    Ali Sindlinger

    Communications Director
    Commission on Crime and Delinquency Media