By Intern: Candace Bridges

On Tuesday, May 13 Mayor Frank Jackson and Public safety forces discussed the Violence and Gun Reduction Interdiction Program in an official press conference. They spoke of the success of the program from community involvement and the positive impact it is making in reducing gun violence.

VGRIP has retrieved 78 guns in the last 90 days. Since 2011 they have confiscated:

• 210 guns
• 978 grams of heroin
• 2,241 grams of cocaine

The law enforcement partners involved in VGRIP include the Cleveland Division of Police, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Cuyahoga County Sherriff’s Office, the Adult Parole Authority, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, the United States Attorney’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Marshall’s Service.

Make sure to watch TV20’s coverage of the official  press conference at 9:00 am and 5:00 pm.

Watch right from your computer from our Live Stream here: http://www.city.cleveland.oh.us/CityofCleveland/Home/Government/MayorsOffice/tv20/watch

All photos courtesy of William Rieter, City of Cleveland