Public Safety & Violence Prevention

Jackson County’s overall crime (murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle theft) rate in 2020 was 2,784 per 100,000 people. This is above the WNC average but below the state average. During the 2020 calendar year in Jackson County, there were 66 youth served by community Juvenile Justice programs, and 5 youth placed in detention centers (NC Department of Public Safety, 2021). During the 2019-2020 fiscal year, there were 155 children with investigated reports of abuse and neglect in Jackson County. Of those reports closed within the timeframe, 13 had substantiated findings with 2 for both abuse and neglect, 1 for abuse, and 10 for neglect. 21 reports were found to be unsubstantiated. (UNC-CH Jordan Institute, 2021). For school violence, there were 27 total acts committed during the 2019-2020 school year, with 1 being assault on school personnel, 3 being possession of a weapon, 6 being possession of an alcoholic beverage, and 17 being possession of a controlled substance (NC Department of Public Instruction, Consolidated Data Reports: Total Number of Acts for Individual Schools, 2021).

Community Partners that actively work with WCU in the Public Safety & Violence Prevention focus area are listed below. If you are interested in working on a project with one of these organization, please contact the CCESL office. For all volunteer opportunities, visit the CCESL Engage page.