VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - As communities across Hampton Roads try to get a handle on gun violence, the city of Virginia Beach is turning to the former Police Chief Jim Cervera.
Cervera and Pastor Michael Daniels are leading the Mayor's Task Force for Youth Violence Prevention.
On Tuesday afternoon, Cervera made an initial presentation to the city council about their work thus far.
"There's no one stop shop. There's no perfect formula," Cervera told the city council.
Step one included meeting with staff from different city departments, including police and the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office, to determine how they could all work together to address crime.
"Our city is way ahead of the rest of the curve, but that doesn't mean we rest on our laurels, not does it mean that we stop going forward," he said.
Cervera noted how other cities nationwide don't have rec centers that are open to the public, like in Virginia Beach.
He says a police officer and team from the Parks & Recreation Department will soon travel to Los Angeles to learn about a program where the city offers things for young people to do at city parks.
"Can it work in the beach? We don't know, but we want to talk to our citizens to see if that's an area we want to go," he said.
He says next steps for him and the pastor will be to meet with members of the community to get their ideas and perspectives.
"We are then going to ask them, 'Okay, how will your group, your individuals come on board with these programs because without citizen support, we will never attain anything,'" he said.
Cervera says he will present again in front of city council in mid-September with more specifics on what the city is doing and hopes to make recommendations in the fall.
