Atlanta mayor names director of violence reduction office

ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has named a director for her new Office of Violence Reduction.

Jacquel Clemons Moore is a public health expert who has previously served as a leader with the Kings Against Violence Initiative, Inc., a nonprofit that offers intervention programs in Brooklyn to prevent youth violence, according to the mayor's office. Bottoms announced her selection on Friday and said it is effective to December 1.

“Combatting violence is a deeply personal issue for me, as it is for so many people across our great city,” Clemons Moore said in a news release put out by the mayor's office. “I look forward to working hand-in-hand with our communities and stakeholders to implement evidence-informed, community driven solutions to reduce interpersonal violence.”

The violence reduction office was part of a package of recommendations made by an advisory council in July to address a wave of violent crime. Bottoms said Friday the city will extend a violence prevention program to two additional areas — the Westside and Southwest Atlanta.