Albany PD Tackles Youth Violence with Anti-Violence Coordinator

Shaquana Kakumba works to prevent gun crimes through community-based initiatives

Mar. 12, 2026 at 9:34pm

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In response to recent shootings involving 14-year-olds in Albany, New York, the Albany Police Department has deployed an anti-violence coordinator, Shaquana Kakumba, to lead prevention efforts. Kakumba oversees programs like the Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) initiative, which provides state funding for law enforcement to work with schools and neighborhoods. The department also has a voluntary mentorship program where community members speak to youth about their experiences and trauma. While not every referred youth signs up, the police chief says the offer for help remains open. The city is also considering implementing a youth curfew, though the focus would be on connecting kids to resources rather than punitive enforcement.

Why it matters

Youth violence and gun crimes are an ongoing concern in Albany, with two recent shootings involving 14-year-olds. The police department's anti-violence coordinator role and community-based prevention programs aim to address the root causes and get at-risk youth the support they need before crimes occur.

The details

Shaquana Kakumba, the anti-violence coordinator, takes a "social determinants of health" approach to understand why gun violence is happening and how to address it. She oversees the GIVE initiative, which provides state funding for law enforcement to work with schools and neighborhoods on prevention. The department also has a voluntary mentorship program where community members speak to youth about their experiences and trauma. While not every referred youth signs up, the police chief says the offer for help remains open and they will mandate assistance if someone is arrested with a gun. The city is also considering implementing a youth curfew, though the focus would be on connecting kids to resources rather than punitive enforcement.

  • Two alleged shootings involving 14-year-olds occurred in Albany just weeks apart.
  • The city's mayor and administration recently met with the mayor of Baltimore to discuss violence prevention initiatives.

The players

Shaquana Kakumba

The anti-violence coordinator for the Albany Police Department who oversees prevention programs like the GIVE initiative and community-based mentorship.

Brendan Cox

The police chief of Albany who supports the potential implementation of a youth curfew, as long as the focus is on connecting kids to resources rather than punitive enforcement.

Dorcey Applyrs

The mayor of Albany who is working to establish an Office of Violence Prevention, similar to the model in Baltimore, to bring together law enforcement, schools, city leaders, and the community to address youth violence.

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What they’re saying

“I like to look at it through a social determinance of health lens and get to the core reason of why and I know with that we will be able to address the gun violence in the community.”

— Shaquana Kakumba, Anti-violence coordinator

“The reason why I support the current legislation and the current thought process of the curfew is because it is not putting the police department in charge of enforcing a curfew and it is not making it punitive.”

— Brendan Cox, Police chief

What’s next

Mayor Dorcey Applyrs and her team plan to establish an Office of Violence Prevention, similar to the model in Baltimore, to bring together law enforcement, schools, city leaders, and the community to address youth violence. Funding is needed to implement this initiative.

The takeaway

Albany's multi-pronged approach to youth violence prevention, including an anti-violence coordinator, community-based programs, and potential curfew legislation, demonstrates a commitment to addressing the root causes of gun crimes and getting at-risk youth the support they need before incidents occur.