Macon-Bibb celebrates decrease in homicides, credits Macon Violence Prevention initiative

Mayor, sheriff tout 67% drop in youth homicides, credit MVP Initiative

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Macon-Bibb County Mayor Lester Miller, Bibb County Sheriff David Davis and partners of the Macon Violence Prevention Program all gathered at City Hall on Wednesday to make a major announcement: homicides among those 18 and under decreased by 67% last year.

“It’s about all of us working together,” Mayor Miller said. He announced there was an overall 43% decrease in homicides between 2022 and 2023. Miller says a big reason for the drop is due to the implementation and success of the Macon Violence Prevention Program, which launched in 2021. The program was created and built by members of the community and the county in an effort to create programs for youth within the community to decrease crime within the community.

“Everybody in the community came together and gave their input,” MVP Coordinator Jeremy Grissom said, adding a part of the journey of putting the program together was identifying non-profits that had programs in place that could help young people. The county has given nearly $2 million to more than 50 of those organizations to do the work.

“We want the MVP program to be such that law enforcement never gets the call,” Sheriff David Davis said.

County leaders were in Atlanta on Sunday to receive the Georgia Municipal Association’s Visionary City Award for the implementation and success of the program.

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