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Overview
The Los Angeles County Office of Violence Prevention (OVP), housed within the Department of Public Health, works to strengthen coordination, capacity and partnerships to address the root causes of violence, and to advance policies and practices that are grounded in race equity, to prevent all forms of violence and to promote healing across all communities in Los Angeles County. OVP monitors the trends and circumstances of violent deaths affecting Los Angeles County to inform decision makers and program planners about ways to prevent and intervene on violence in the community, at home and in the workplace.
This March 2025, as we commemorate Women’s History Month, the Office of Violence Prevention (OVP) recognizes the progress made and the work that lies ahead in preventing violence and the distinct role of women in this work whether it be those working to prevent intimate partner violence, sexual violence, gun violence, gang violence, trafficking or hate violence.
An important component of OVP’s violence prevention work is community violence intervention (CVI). OVP launched the Trauma Prevention Initiative (TPI) in 2015, collaborating with community residents and stakeholders to reduce violence-related injuries and deaths. TPI takes a community-driven, survivor-centered approach to public safety, empowering community leadership. This approach to violence intervention is evidence-based and leverages lived experience to prevent and disrupt cycles of violence in the communities most affected.
While men are often the visible faces of community violence intervention, women have played a critical yet unrecognized role in violence prevention and reduction. According to an Urban Peace Institute report, women make up only about 20% of the intervention workforce in LA County, yet they bring a distinctive and valuable perspective to intervention work. Barbara Jett, a TPI Program Coordinator, notes that women often take the lead in addressing issues like intimate partner violence, an area where male interventionists may hesitate to intervene.
Women and girls involved in gang environments frequently experience physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. Lanaisha Edwards, OVP’s Community Violence Intervention Specialist, says more work needs to be done to address the intersection between gender-based violence and gang violence. “Domestic violence goes largely unrecognized or addressed in the community. Many believe they shouldn’t get involved,” explains Edwards. “But that needs to change. We as community violence interventionists need to connect the dots and work more closely with organizations like the Domestic Violence Council."
Women in the CVI field are advocating for greater visibility and leadership opportunities along with expanded training that explicitly addresses the role of women in intervention. Recognizing this need, Edwards established a support group for women on TPI’s street outreach team, creating a space where they can discuss challenges they’re facing, advancement opportunities and celebrate their successes.
As we celebrate Women’s History Month, OVP remains committed to elevating the voices of women in violence prevention, advocating for their support, and ensuring their invaluable work is recognized. If you have a story about a remarkable Los Angeles woman who is working in violence prevention, intervention or healing please submit it here.
OVP is Distributing 60,000 Gun Locks; Free, No Questions Asked
On Tuesday, April 2, the Department of Public Health’s Office of Violence Prevention publicly launched an initiative to help prevent the devastating impact of gun violence including the tragedy of unintentional shootings – which disproportionately affect children – and gun suicides. As part of the initiative, OVP will be distributing 60,000 gun locks; free, no questions asked.
The locks, educational materials and community resources are available through this Gun Lock Request Form and six County medical facilities: Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, High Desert Regional Health Center, Los Angeles General Medical Center, Martin Luther King Jr. Outpatient Center, Olive View – UCLA Medical Center, and Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center.
“Far too many families have experienced the terrible pain of losing a child or teen-ager to gun violence,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, Director of the Department of Public Health. “In a number of these cases, the simple act of locking and safely storing firearms would have prevented a tragedy.”
Dr. Ferrer was joined by several speakers at Rancho Los Amigos for the official, public kickoff of the gun lock distribution program, including Dr. Shannon Thyne, Director of Pediatrics for the L.A. County Department of Health Services, and two survivors of gun violence.
A total of 13 gun safety and community organizations participated in a resource fair at Rancho Los Amigos following the end of the formal ceremony.
Distribution of gun locks is part of OVP’s comprehensive strategy to reduce gun violence in our communities, which includes developing the 40-point Gun Violence Prevention Platform, providing education about various restraining orders, supporting federal and state gun safety legislation, a school safety initiative, and partnering with health care providers on discussing safe storage with their patients.
OVP has allocated the entire $25 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds that it received in 2022 as part of the County’s COVID-19 plan to support violence prevention, intervention and healing services and programs. A total of 56 grants were distributed to community-based organizations across Los Angeles County dedicated to preventing all forms of violence. OVP partnered with the California Community Foundation (CCF) in awarding the grants.
The ARPA funding represents the largest federal grant to OVP in history. The funds are intended to prevent violence incidents, implement crisis response when violent incidents occur, address factors contributing to gang and gun violence, increase access to trauma-informed care and healing-centered services, and invest in upstream youth programs, youth engagement, and youth leadership opportunities across Los Angeles County.
“We are grateful to the Biden administration for including violence prevention and intervention as a key component of COVID-19 recovery and to the Board of Supervisors for allocating these funds to the Office of Violence Prevention,” said Andrea Welsing, OVP Director.
Youth Suicide and Suicide Attempts in Los Angeles County
The Los Angeles County Office of Violence Prevention has released a new report, “Youth Suicide and Suicide Attempts in Los Angeles County,” which highlights suicide and suicide attempt data among Los Angeles County youth ages 10-24 between 2016 and 2020. The report includes general demographics, methods most frequently used, and suicide trends during the five-year period. The report also briefly overviews reported suicides and attempts during 2020, with the acknowledgment that there is still much more to understand about this unprecedented time. The report concludes with links to prevention resources that reduce stigma and normalize mental health as an integral component of health and wellbeing. Click here to view the report.
OVP supports the County’s LA vs. Hate Initiative led by the Human Relations Commission in collaboration with community partners. LA vs Hate is a community-centered creative campaign to encourage and support all residents of Los Angeles County to unite against, report, and resist hate.
If you are the victim, or witness of, a hate incident or hate crime you can report the incident/crime with 211 LA. Your report is confidential and 211 is not affiliated with law enforcement.
After extensive review and input, the Office of Violence Prevention (OVP) Early Implementation Strategic Plan was adopted by the County Leadership Committee and Community Partnership Council in September 2020. Read more about OVP Early Implementation Strategic Plan here.
The OVP Strategic Plan is a live document and we welcome your ongoing feedback, specifically as it pertains to our priorities, goals, objectives and strategies. Please provide your input by sending an email to ovp@ph.lacounty.gov or email Andrea Welsing, OVP Director, directly at awelsing@ph.lacounty.gov. We hope you will provide your thoughts, comments and recommendations for the Strategic Plan and that you will continue to be part of our violence prevention and healing efforts as we work together to advance strategies to prevent violence and promote healing.
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer acknowledges that addressing law enforcement violence and racism are core to public health. Read DPH Director's message on racism here.
