BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) -- A survey from the Birmingham Crime Commission is looking for answers to gun violence.
Officials said they are hoping to find out what works in communities and use the data to strengthen programs that help prevent violence. The crime commission consists of 14 community leaders put together by Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin in October.
The survey is shing a spotlight on Birmingham's 99 neighborhoods. The commission wants to hear from residents about what works and how they can use city resources to stop gun violence.
“We can come in all day and say this is happening, or this needs to happen, or this is happening across the United States, and it might not work,” said Arnee Odoms, a commission member.
Odoms said all of Birmingham's neighborhoods and communities are different. One of those neighborhoods is where Sandy Bergeron spends her days. She said she hopes the commissions study will help promote programs in the city that are working on things like conflict resolution.
“I think the home is a place where something needs to happen," Bergeron said. "There is a church where something needs to happen, and there is a community."
The anonymous survey asks questions like "What programs would you fund or prioritize?" and "What programs are you involved with currently?"
The commission plans to collect the data and encourage the city of Birmingham to use it to help expand and elevate existing programs.
“This is already happening in your neighborhood," Odoms said. "Do you want to be trained in this outreach? Do you want to have conflict resolution in your neighborhood community center?”
To take the community member survey, click here. The church leader survey can be found here. Those who are teachers and parents can take this survey. The business owners survey can be taken by clicking here. Submissions are due by Monday.
The Birmingham Crime Commission is working on a report it will submit to the city. Odoms said that report should be finished next year. Data from that survey will be a part of that report.