Crime & Law
Johnson Uses Executive Order to Establish Office of Gun Violence Reduction, a Step Toward Permanent Department
Mayor Brandon Johnson signs an executive order establishing an Office of Gun Violence Reduction on June 25, 2026. (City of Chicago livestream)
Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order Thursday that aims to bring the city a step closer to establishing a city department solely focused on addressing gun violence.
The executive order establishing an Office of Gun Violence Reduction comes in the aftermath of weekend violence that led advocates to renew calls for the city to establish a new Department of Gun Violence Reduction, claiming the existing Office of Violence Prevention doesn’t do enough to keep Chicagoans safe.
“We’ve come together today to mark a historic step in Chicago’s fight against gun violence,” Johnson said during an executive order signing event. “For far too long in this city, we have not met the scale of this challenge with the urgency needed to transcend the systemic neglect that has left lasting scars in too many of our communities.”
The new Office of Gun Violence Reduction, housed within the mayor’s Office of Community Safety, will be tasked with coordinating violence prevention efforts, victim services and community safety investments, according to the executive order.
The new office will be led by Deputy Mayor for Community Safety Emmanuel Andre who will now serve the dual role of executive director of gun violence reduction. A full-time deputy director will also be appointed. That position will be dedicated to meeting the requirements of the executive order.
In addition, the executive order:
- Tasks the office to develop and implement a comprehensive five-year gun violence reduction strategy.
- Forms an interdepartmental gun violence reduction cabinet.
- Forms a gun violence reduction advisory council — composed of 17 members representing community violence intervention organizations, grassroots organizations, faith leaders, mental health professionals and philanthropic partners.
- Outlines procedures to support the establishment of a permanent Department of Gun Violence Reduction.
The mayor will reassign personnel from city departments, including, but not limited to the Department of Public Health and the Department of Family and Support Services to support the work of the Office of Gun Violence Reduction, according to the executive order.
Employees assigned to support the office are expected to report to the office’s executive director while continuing to report to the head of their home department or agency.
The funding for the new office is available in this year’s budget, a spokesperson for the mayor said in an email, but did not specify how much funding is being allocated for the office.
The establishment of a permanent department would require City Council approval.
“I know today is a celebration, but it should have happened before I became mayor,” Johnson told reporters during Thursday’s executive order signing event.
Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd Ward), chair for the Committee on Public Safety, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the order.
This past weekend, multiple shootings left six people dead and 33 more injured, including a drive-by mass shooting that injured more than a dozen people. President Donald Trump used the weekend violence to push again in a social media post for federal intervention in Chicago.
WTTW News reporter Matt Masterson contributed to this report.
WTTW News coverage of policing and police reform is supported by The Joyce Foundation.
Contact Eunice Alpasan: [email protected]
