Chicago ‘Peacekeepers’ Hot Spots Saw 33% Decrease in Shooting Victimizations, According to New CORNERS Report

Peacekeepers Program hot spots in Chicago experienced an overall 33% decrease in shooting victimizations from July 2025 to June 2026, according to a new report from Northwestern University’s Center for Neighborhood Engaged Research and Science (CORNERS).

The program, which originally launched in 2018 as the Flatlining Violence Inspires Peace (FLIP) Strategy, aims to curb gun violence in geographic areas with disproportionately high rates of shootings, while supporting the integration of Peacekeepers into the Community Violence Intervention (CVI) workforce. 

The initiative is currently a partnership between Metropolitan Peace Initiatives, Communities Partnering 4 Peace, Chicago CRED, Acclivus, and several other CVI organizations committed to building a safer Chicago.

To date, the program operates in 41 Chicago Community Areas, or CCAs, and Cook County suburbs. Areas such as Burnside (-75%), Washington Park (-43%), East Garfield Park (-40%), West Pullman (-40%), Woodlawn (-38%), Auburn Gresham (-37%), Albany Park (-36%), and Chicago Lawn (-35%) saw above average decreases year over year.

As a result, Peacekeepers Program community areas experienced an overall 18% decrease in shooting victimizations in fiscal year 2026 compared to fiscal year 2025.

The report also notes that since fiscal year 2021, there has been a consistent decrease in shooting victimizations across Peacekeepers community areas, with fiscal year 2026 seeing the lowest cumulative number of shooting victimizations during this period.

Read the full report here.