Our Story
The Community Based Public Safety Collective (CBPSC) was founded in 2021 at a pivotal moment for community-based public safety. For decades, community-based organizations had demonstrated that trusted neighborhood leaders could reduce violence, interrupt cycles of harm, connect people to healing and opportunity, and strengthen community safety. Yet despite their impact, these organizations often operated with limited infrastructure, inconsistent funding, and little formal recognition within the broader public safety system.
The convergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, a national reckoning on racial justice, and historic increases in community violence brought renewed attention to the need for community-centered approaches to safety. At the same time, the American Rescue Plan created an unprecedented opportunity for cities and states to invest in community violence intervention, while the White House launched the Community Violence Intervention Collaborative (CVIC) to support communities implementing evidence-informed public safety strategies.
These historic investments represented more than new funding—they marked a turning point for the field. For the first time, community-based public safety organizations were being asked to scale rapidly, manage significant public investments, demonstrate measurable outcomes, and build sustainable organizational infrastructure. The challenge was clear: while the demand for community-based public safety had grown, the field lacked the national capacity-building infrastructure needed to support it.
CBPSC was created to meet that moment.
Founded by nationally recognized practitioners and leaders with decades of experience building, operating, and supporting community-based public safety organizations, CBPSC serves as a national intermediary dedicated to strengthening the field from the inside out. Through organizational development, technical assistance, workforce development, research, ecosystem building, and strategic investment, we help community-based organizations build the leadership, systems, and capacity needed to sustain and expand their impact.
A Field Built by Practitioners
CBPSC was co-founded by Aqeela Sherrills, one of the nation's pioneering leaders in community-based public safety. For more than three decades, Aqeela has helped shape the field through groundbreaking work in violence reduction, community healing, and systems transformation.
As one of the architects of the historic 1992 Watts Peace Treaty, Aqeela witnessed firsthand that lasting peace requires more than ending conflict—it requires investing in the people, organizations, and community leadership that sustain safety over time. That belief became the foundation of his life's work, from advancing community self-determination and trauma-informed healing to helping communities across the country build resident-led public safety strategies.
In 2014, Aqeela co-created the Newark Community Street Team (NCST) at the request of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka. During his leadership, Newark experienced a dramatic reduction in homicides while demonstrating the effectiveness of a community-led approach to public safety. NCST has since become one of the nation's most recognized models of community violence intervention and helped shape the evidence base for community-based public safety.
When historic federal investments through the American Rescue Plan and the White House Community Violence Intervention Collaborative accelerated the growth of the field, Aqeela recognized that communities needed more than funding—they needed strong organizations, prepared leaders, and national infrastructure to support sustainable implementation. Together with fellow practitioners and national leaders, he co-founded the Community Based Public Safety Collective to help build that infrastructure and strengthen the organizations advancing community-based public safety across the country.
CBPSC’s approach to field standardization is informed by extensive experience providing national technical assistance and capacity building to community-based safety and violence intervention organizations across varied jurisdictions and governance structures. Since our founding, our work has included:
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The White House Community Violence Intervention Collaborative, supporting 52 organizations nationwide
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The U.S. DOJ Bureau of Justice Assistance Community Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative, providing technical assistance to 98 grantees
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The Coalition to Advance Public Safety, engaging 30 community-based organizations
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Direct partnerships with five municipalities through CBPSC’s Scaling Safety initiative, supporting the development of locally grounded community-based safety ecosystems
Across these efforts, CBPSC has supported organizations at varying stages of development—from emerging
programs to mature systems—helping establish shared standards, training pathways, and implementation guidance while respecting local context, governance, and community trust.
Today, that mission continues. As community-based public safety becomes an increasingly essential component of public safety across the country, CBPSC is helping ensure the field has the infrastructure, professional workforce, and organizational strength needed not only to meet today's challenges, but to shape the future of public safety for generations to come.