If you need assistance now, call 911. 

Get
Involved

Reduce the Risk is an outreach and education effort from the California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES). It helps people understand the nine types of protection orders that can stop gun violence and save lives.

Even though these orders work, many people don’t know about them. A recent study showed that almost 80% of people are worried they don’t have enough information.

To help change this, Reduce the Risk is working with trusted people in local communities to share this important information. Please contact us to schedule a training or an informational session.

Community Advisory Councils

A research-led campaign, Reduce the Risk is guided by insights from community members throughout California, including two advisory councils: the Champions Advisory Council and the Youth Advisory Council.

Champions Advisory Council

A council of professionals who represent a wide range of experience and knowledge who assist in the development and implementation of the campaign.

Law Enforcement

Jim Cooper
Sheriff
Sacramento County

Donald O’Keefe
Chief of Law Enforcement
California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services

Brad Welch
Chief Deputy
Law Enforcement Operations Branch
Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office

District Attorney’s Offices

Jeffrey Brooker
Assistant District Attorney
Imperial County District Attorney’s Office

Jeffrey F. Rosen
District Attorney
Santa Clara County 

Public and Mental Health

Susan L. Holt, LMFT
Director of Behavioral Health and Public Guardian
County of Fresno Department of Behavioral Health 

Mia Livas Porter
Policy Analyst and (Interim) Gun Violence Prevention Platform Lead
Los Angeles County Office of Public Health
Office of Violence Prevention

Garen Wintemute, MD, MPH
Director, Centers for Violence Prevention
University of California, Davis





 

Youth Advisory Council

A council of youth who are experienced in gun violence prevention activities who assist in implementing statewide campaign activities.

•  Stephen Baker, San Diego

•  Abigail Brandel, Livermore

•  Gabriela Gonzales, Riverbank

•  Rafael Kaye-Lew, Los Angeles

•  Maxwell Martinez, Sacramento

•  Sarah Youssef, San Diego

•  Caroline Zdanowski, Palo Alto

Protection Orders

    What People Know

    Reduce the Risk wants to help more people learn about protection orders.
    To understand what people already know, a survey was sent to 1,000 people in California.
    The survey showed…

    30%

    (3 out of ten)

    had heard of protection order laws.

    70%

    knew there are laws that can take away guns from someone who wants to hurt themselves or others. But fewer people knew about the protection orders themselves.

    <50%

    knew that a protection order could be filed by a close friend or family member, a teacher or a police officer.

    79%

    said they want to learn more about protection orders.

    77%

    said they would consider a protection order if someone close to them was in danger.

    Red flag warning icon used to indicate gun violence risk for GVRO awareness in California

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