Running An Office of Violence Prevention: A Conversation with Will Pinkney

We've been on a bit of a break—and for good reason. The work of standing up a new statewide Office of Firearm-Related Harm and Violence Prevention in Colorado has demanded a level of time and focus that made it hard to keep up with editing and publishing episodes.

But we’re back, and I’m glad to drop you into this conversation. Last year when before I got swamped with other A LOT of other tasks, I sat down with Will Pinkney, Director of the Office of Violence Prevention in St. Louis, to talk about what’s actually working to keep communities safe. We went deep on how public health approaches can shift the game, why collaboration matters more than ego, and how mental wellness ties into everything we’re trying to do.

With Will’s journey from law enforcement to systems-level policy, this episode is packed with insight, honesty, and strategies that center the people most impacted.