HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — The City of Tampa is taking a strong stance against gun violence among teens. During Thursday's city council meeting, city officials and the Tampa Police Department will highlight programs that aim to prevent kids from getting involved with guns.
This all comes after a concerning start to 2023.
In 2022, there were more than 300 shootings in the City of Tampa and parts of Hillsborough County. Freddy Barton withSafe and Sound Hillsborough said that in the first few months of 2023, we were already on track to beat the 2022 numbers.
That is why Safe and Sound Hillsborough and the City of Tampa are partnering on prevention efforts. Many of which include finding ways to keep kids busy during the summer months.
“When we see that kids have out-of-school time opportunities, there's nothing to keep them engaged. They are more prone to getting into delinquent activities, so we got to stay ahead of this thing," Barton said.
Many of the programs that will be highlighted work hand in hand with the Tampa Police Department. The city said this aims to promote personal development but also create a strong, healthy relationship with law enforcement.
“Our community is only safe when everybody is safe, so being able to provide things that kids can do during the summer especially, I think is really important," Councilwoman Lynn Hurtak said.
The list of programs is below:
