POR 2026-138 · Agenda item attachment · Jul 23 2026

POR 2026-138 FIRST IN COUNCIL July 23, 2026 City of Cambridge COUNCILLOR SOBRINHO-WHEELER COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN COUNCILLOR AL-ZUBI WHEREAS: While Cambridge has had significantly fewer homicides per capita than the national average in recent years, including among cities in Massachusetts, when violence does occur it is devastating and unacceptable; and WHEREAS: Along with state and federal policies related to public safety and firearms, the public safety work and programming run by the City of Cambridge including by the Police Department, the Department of Human Services Programs, the Community Safety Department, the Housing Department, the Multi-Service Center, the Public Health Department, and the Cambridge Health Alliance have had significant impacts in preventing and responding to violence in Cambridge; and WHEREAS: It is imperative for the City to holistically evaluate what methods have and have not been successful in responding to violence in order to strengthen policy making around public safety across City departments; and WHEREAS: Cambridge’s current public safety policies include a Surveillance Technology Ordinance passed by the City Council that authorizes the City to use more than 30 different surveillance technologies, including more than a dozen surveillance technologies requested by the Police Department over the years; and WHEREAS: Alongside these important traditional public safety responses, City and community resources including mental and behavioral healthcare, affordable housing, education, and job training programs have proven to be critical tools in reducing violence in cities across the country; and WHEREAS: While these public safety resources across City departments have been critical, it is important to review which programs, policies, and technologies have worked and have not worked in preventing and responding to violent crime, including solved and unsolved murders in Cambridge, and what additional resources or changes would be impactful across City departments; and WHEREAS: Community engagement is critical in advancing public safety and new approaches or adoption of technologies must begin with robust community engagement and outreach to communities impacted prior to adoption in order to be effective; and WHEREAS: While City departments and community organizations such as Transition House, Remembering Our Cambridge Kids and Kin, and BARCC have done tremendous work to support survivors of violence and their families in Cambridge, there remains

work to be done to ensure that survivors and their families have the resources and support they need; now therefore be it ORDERED: That the City Manager be and is hereby requested to provide a comprehensive evaluation of violence response and prevention strategies, along with survivor support services, across City departments including CPD, CSD, CHA, and DHSP and come with recommendations before the City Council’s Public Safety Committee; and be it further ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to report back to the City Council in a timely manner. A true copy; ATTEST:- Paula M. Crane, Interim City Clerk

City of Cambridge That the City Manager is requested to provide a comprehensive evaluation of violence response and prevention strategies, along with survivor support services, across City departments including CPD, CSD, CHA, and DHSP and come with recommendations before the City Council’s Public Safety Committee and report back to the City Council in a timely manner.