Albany Mayor Dorcey Applyrs has selected a leader for her administration’s new Violence Prevention Task Force.
On Friday, the mayor announced the appointment of Pastor Charles Gresham as chair of the task force.
Her office noted Gresham has served in the Air Force and National Guard, and he is also a Youth Pastor at Wilborn Temple First Church of God in Christ.
Applyrs said the move is part of an ongoing effort to create a coordinated violence prevention system.
“This appointment represents another important step in building the coordinated violence prevention system our residents asked for,” Applyrs said in a statement. “Throughout this week, we highlighted the partnerships and investments that are strengthening our city’s violence prevention response. Pastor Gresham embodies that same spirit of collaboration. He has earned the trust of leaders across every sector, and I know he will help unite our partners around one shared mission: creating safer neighborhoods and expanding opportunities for our city’s youth and families.”
Despite some high-profile incidents, including a shooting last Fourth of July, state leaders reported declining violence in the city in recent years.