Marquel's Pledge

About the Program

Category: Criminal Justice and Public Safety (Best in Category)

Year: 2011

Marquel’s pledge is a community initiative to raise awareness of the dangers of celebratory gunfire in DeKalb County and throughout Georgia. DeKalb County developed the initiative after 4-year-old Marquel Peters was struck and killed in church by a stray bullet believed to have been fired by a New Year’s Eve reveler. Community stakeholders are encouraged to take Marquel’s Pledge and to promote the pledge to others in their communities. Since the inception of Marquel’s Pledge in June 201, the DeKalb County Police Department has seen a 47 percent decline in the number of celebratory gunfire calls on New Year’s Eve compared to the same holiday in 2010.