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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.
February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month (TDVAM), an opportunity to shed light on the importance of preventing and addressing dating violence among teens. Teen dating violence, also known as adolescent relationship abuse, is a pattern of behavior where one person uses intimidation, threats of, or actual physical, emotional, or sexual violence to maintain power and control over their partner. Research shows that during 2021, 13.6% of U.S. high school students who had dated during the past year reported experiencing physical and/or sexual dating violence.[1] Unhealthy and abusive relationships can have both short and long-term effects on teens. Young people who are victims of teen dating violence are more likely to experience depression and anxiety, use tobacco and alcohol, exhibit behaviors such as lying, theft, bullying or hitting and have suicidal thoughts. Understanding warning signs, fostering open communication, and promoting healthy relationship behaviors are critical steps in supporting our youth.
For immidiate help, text LOVEIS to 22522, call 866-331-9474, or visit LoveIsRespect.org
[1] Clayton, Heather B. "Dating violence, sexual violence, and bullying victimization among high school students—Youth risk behavior survey, United States, 2021." MMWR supplements 72 (2023).
Black History Month
Every February, we come together to celebrate Black History Month – a time to honor the achievements and contributions of Black Americans to the United States and the world. Originally established as Negro History Week in 1926 by historian Carter G. Woodson, the observance was expanded into a month-long celebration in 1976, recognizing the essential role of Black Americans in shaping our nation.
As we reflect on this legacy, we must also confront the ongoing inequities that impact the lives of Black residents in Los Angeles County. The recently released State of Black Los Angeles County 2023-2025 report by the Anti-Racism, Diversity and Inclusion (ARDI) Initiative sheds light on the disproportionate burden of violence experienced by Black Angelenos.
State of Black Los Angeles
According to the report, Black residents are more likely than their non-Black counterparts to live in areas with higher rates of violence, including homicides and assaults. Current data show that the average homicide rate in Los Angeles County for 2018-2022 stands at 6.6 per 100,000 residents. However, for Black residents, this rate skyrockets to 25.7 per 100,000 – nearly four times higher than the county average.[2] The disparities extend to intimate partner violence (IPV). Black Angelenos report higher rates of physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner than any other racial group. During 2023, 12.9% of Black adults living in Los Angeles County reported experiencing physical or sexual IPV at some point in their lives. This included 18.4% of Black women and 6.2% of Black men.[3] Read the full report: State of Black Los Angeles County.
The Office of Violence Prevention (OVP) is committed to addressing these inequities and reducing violence in our communities. OVP is working with county and community partners to raise awareness and implement a comprehensive set of strategies to decrease firearm deaths, life altering injuries and their social emotional impacts through the Gun Safety Initiative and Prevention Platform. This includes training and technical assistance as well as the distribution of 60,000 gun safety locks and educational materials countywide in partnership with DHS medical centers and LA County Libraries. Building on these efforts, the Trauma Prevention Initiative (TPI) supports a community-driven approach to public safety that is survivor centered, supports community leadership, and invests in intervention strategies to reduce violence related injuries and deaths in the county’s highest need communities. In addition to these initiatives, the Gender-Based Violence Initiative works to coordinate across systems, and create alignment between law enforcement agencies, healthcare providers, legal systems, survivors, county, and community partners that will allow for better service collaboration and integration, and therefore, better support survivors and address gender-based violence.
[2] Los Angeles County Annual 2018-2022 Data Files, assembled from California Department of Public Health Vital Records Data. Office of Health Assessment & Epidemiology, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Population estimates from County of Los Angeles, Internal Services Department, Information Technology Service, Urban Research-GIS Section. [3] 2023 Los Angeles County Health Survey; Office of Health Assessment and Epidemiology, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
Photo by John McCoy
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.
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.
OVP Early Implementation Strategic Plan
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.
DPH Director's Message on Racism
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Director, Dr. Barbara Ferrer,
acknowledges that addressing law enforcement violence and racism are core to public health.
