The Violence Prevention Coalition steering committee, made up of 13 members, met for the first time on Tuesday to discuss their goals going forward.

The coalition was formed in response to the three murders in 48 hours that occurred in Federal Way this past May. The members, which range from community representatives to service providers, are tasked with providing recommendations on curbing violence in the city to Mayor Jim Ferrell by Nov. 1.

The group chose Doug Baxter, the violence prevention coordinator for CHI Franciscan, as its chair, and it selected Lawrence Garrett, the executive director for Advancing Leadership and AL Youth, as its vice chair.

After taking care of introductions and formalities, the committee agreed that, in order to get started, they wanted feedback from the June 2 Violence Prevention Coalition meeting and they needed access to crime statistics. Some during the meeting expressed that narrowing the scope of the committee’s work should be first priority, with many unsure whether there should be a focus on youth violence or overall gun violence in Federal Way.

The meetings, which are open to the public, will be held from 3-4:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month, with the exception of the next meeting which will be held from 2-3:30 p.m. on Aug. 16. All of the meetings will take place in the Hylebos Conference Room at City Hall.

In addition to their regular meetings, the steering committee will engage with the community in other meetings or events, which are to be scheduled at a later date.

For more information or to provide input, visit cityoffederalway.com/page/violence-prevention-coalition.