University officials hosted a press conference Thursday to announce the success of the Baton Rouge Area Violence Elimination project in the Holiday Forum.
Most sub-districts in the 70805 area code saw a massive drop in violent crimes between 2013-14. Some of these areas saw as much a 85 percent decrease in violent crimes.  The research team attributed much of the recent drops in crime to BRAVE.
BRAVE is a non-violent project that aims to end juvenile violence within the zip code area it often occurs. The BRAVE administration consists of Baton Rouge Mayor-President Kip Holden, District Attorney Hillar Moore, the police chief, the sheriff, and University researchers. The administration plans to get the youth involved with educational activities that would build a stronger and safer community.
ImPRint, a student-run public relations firm, has been managing BRAVE’s public relation services since the project was implemented in 2012.
“Specifically, we manage their social media and website,” said Megan Gibbs, student director of ImPRint. “[We] design promotional graphics, provide media relations collateral and help plan and staff any community events they may have.”
Gibbs said students who are not involved with BRAVE should spread awareness about the program.