PHILADELPHIA (June 16, 2026) — District Attorney Larry Krasner and the DAO’s DATA Lab held its first DATA CoLab Pilot Initiative Summit on Tuesday, highlighting the work of eight community-based partners in reducing gun violence in Philadelphia.
The DATA CoLab is a community-driven data sharing initiative that partners with organizations addressing gun violence and other pressing issues in our city. The CoLab works with organizations to build their data capacity and ensure that they have access to data that can inform their work. District Attorney Larry Krasner honored each participating organization with a certificate of recognition.
“The work of these eight community-based organizations and many others has been absolutely essential in the historic reductions in gun violence we are experiencing in Philadelphia,” said District Attorney Larry Krasner. “While they may not get the headlines or the recognition, these partners are boots on the ground, providing critical resources and evidenced-based approaches in real time to prevent crime in our neighborhoods.”
“The DATA CoLab is honored to recognize and support these incredible organizations in implementing community-driven solutions,” said Ciara Sheerin, Director of the DAO’s Data CoLab. “We thank each of these organizations for their collaboration and incredible work. We also thank the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) for funding this initiative.”
“Philly Truce’s mission is to drive the impact of sustainable Black manhood. Our flagship program, Peace Patrol, has been active since 2020 and supports community safety and violence reduction in public spaces by employing justice-impacted men, alongside community members and volunteers to provide community-led visible deterrence in Philadelphia neighborhoods,” added Steven Pickens, co-founder of Philly Truce. “In this partnership, the DATA CoLab provides crime incident data which we use to select the location of our community patrols. This data allows us to focus patrols on the areas and blocks with the highest number of shooting incidents and other violent crimes.”
The DATA CoLab — housed within the District Attorney’s Transparency Analytics Lab at the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office (DAO) — is a grant-funded initiative that supports and empowers community-based organizations (CBOs) in their efforts to address and prevent gun violence in their neighborhoods. It currently partners with eight organizations in four sections of the city: Philly Truce and We Embrace Fatherhood (West Philadelphia); RawTools Philly and New Kensington Community Development Corporation (NKCDC) (Kensington); Institute for the Development of African American Youth (IDAAY) and Education Culture Opportunities (ECO) Foundation (Southwest Philadelphia); and 5 Shorts and Every Murder is Real (EMIR) Healing Center (Germantown).
The DATA CoLab uses a strengths-based approach to data sharing, expanding access to data sources, tools, and education while building capacity and empowering community partners to use data to guide their outreach efforts. This approach centers equity, power sharing, and community expertise, emphasizing the translation of research into evidence-based, community-driven interventions.
See more of our partners’ work here.
CONTACT:
Marisa Palmer, [email protected]