Trevon Fordham named as new director for Office of Violent Crime Prevention

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — According to Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann, violent crimes have increased in the past year.

City of Columbia officials are announcing a new director for the Office of Violent Crime Prevention, with the goal of lowering both gun violence, domestic violence, and armed robberies throughout the city.

According to the new director Trevon Fordham, his office will focus on crime prevention and intervention, and will collaborate directly with community members, law enforcement, and city officials to improve overall efforts.

“It’s going to take a very comprehensive approach, looking at different services, from transitional housing to mental health, working with law enforcement partners, and really seeing how we can identify gaps, streamline those efforts, and as the Mayor said, be a quarterback to really get the team together and keep the team rolling,” says Fordham.

City officials also say Fordham’s team will serve as a one-stop-shop for violence reduction resources, and will track and identify people, places, and behaviors associated with violent crime.

“Everybody wants to feel safe in their hometown. Everybody wants to feel safe in their community. Everybody wants to feel safe where they go eat or watch a movie. So that’s where I think the commonality is at for everyone, is we all want to feel safe in our community,” Fordham says.

Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook says he hopes Fordham is able to bridge the gap between officials and community members.

“My hope would be that this position will be a few degrees of separation from us. It helps create some quicker trust and legitimacy and maybe brings a few more people to the table to be solution driven, where we can step aside and let that office take the lead on that,” Holbrook says.

The office will also focus on conflict resolution and de-escalation when situations arise among youth.

“We have got to engage our youth. We’ve got to keep them busy. We’ve got to address the trauma our children are exposed to. We’ve got to address the number of guns on the street that are falling into the hands of our young people,” says Holbrook.

To introduce Fordham to the community, City officials are holding a Community Meet and Greet at the Busby Street Community Center on Tuesday at 6 p.m.

“At the end of the day — our residents, our citizens —  they want to make sure that they feel safe in the city of Columbia. And that’s gonna be our goal, that’s what we’re gonna work everyday towards,” says Fordham.