Operation Ceasefire

Originally developed by the Boston Police Department's Youth Violence Strike Force, Operation Ceasefire is a problem-solving police strategy that seeks to reduce gang violence, illegal gun possession, and gun violence in communities. As a deterrence strategy, the intervention posits that crimes can be prevented when the costs of committing the crime are perceived by the offender to outweigh the benefits of committing a crime. It targets high-risk youths as well as serious and violent juvenile offenders. The program is just one element of a collaborative, comprehensive strategy (which also includes the Boston Gun Project and Operation Night Light) implemented in Boston, Mass., to address escalating gang activity and rising violent crime rates. It combines aggressive law enforcement and prosecution efforts aimed at recovering illegal handguns, prosecuting dangerous felons, increasing public awareness, and promoting public safety and antiviolence.

The goals of the program are to carry out a comprehensive strategy to apprehend and prosecute offenders who carry firearms, to put others on notice that offenders face certain and serious punishment for carrying illegal firearms, and to prevent youths from following the same criminal path.

The Operation Ceasefire program was officially implemented on May 15, 1996. Boston had averaged 44 youth homicides per year from 1991 through 1995. In 1996 the number of youth homicides decreased to 26 and further decreased to 15 in 1997.

A comparison of Boston's youth violence trends with other cities during the program period suggests that Operation Ceasefire may have been effective in reducing youth homicides, gun assault incidents, and "shots fired" calls for service. The intervention was associated with a statistically significant decrease (63 percent) in the monthly number of youth homicides. However, Operation Ceasefire was but one element of a collaborative, comprehensive strategy implemented in Boston. Others included Boston's 10-Point Coalition. The Operation Ceasefire program has been replicated in other cities, including Minneapolis, Minn.; St. Louis, Mo.; and Los Angeles, Calif.