LYNN — Like many communities across the country, Lynn has been dealing with gang violence for years. Spikes have invariably occurred, prompting police to not only respond to crime, but also take proactive steps to aggressively pursue prevention.
“All of the great work the police department is doing, the extensive outreach that we’re doing as a city, in collaboration with our community partners, is making a difference and facilitating sometimes hard, but important, conversations that ultimately help achieve a greater level of peace and help people feel safer in their homes,” Mayor Jared C. Nicholson said.
Lynn Police Capt. Chris Kelly said gang violence can have significant and devastating effects on the community, with a majority of the violence involving youthful offenders and youthful victims.
“Our residents, our students, school faculty, any members of our community are going to be negatively impacted reading a story or hearing about something online about a violent attack,” he said…