Police in New London are investigating a drive-by shooting Sunday on Bank Street that left a 24-year-old man hospitalized with gunshot wounds.

Norwich police continue to hunt for a teenager wanted in the fatal shooting of a 19-year-old Norwich man who was gunned down outside his home in May.

Earlier this month, police gathered spent shell casings from a road in Norwich in an incident that left a man with a gunshot wound to the leg.

These are just a few examples of area crimes under investigation that law enforcement officials agree could be tackled with a regional approach that includes an examination of the root problems that cause them.

Law enforcement officials from New London, Norwich, and the Mashantucket and Mohegan tribal nations met at Norwich City Hall this week for an organizational meeting of a new state-funded initiative aimed at addressing violent crime across the region.

The police chiefs and members of community groups discussed the expansion of Project Longevity, a gun violence reduction program that originated in New Haven in 2012 and is now active in Hartford, Waterbury and Bridgeport.

The new initiative is funded with $2.5 million in the current state budget that will eventually be used to pay for contracted services to bring together law enforcement, social service agencies and community groups in a global response to address crime.

“Our towns do not work in silos,” said state Sen. Cathy Osten, D-Sprague, who pushed for the funding with support from state Rep. Anthony Nolan, D-New London and state Rep. Derell Wilson, D-Norwich.

Osten said the idea for the expansion of Project Longevity was a direct response to what she’s been hearing from constituents, that more people feel unsafe outside their homes.

The Justice Education Center will play a central role in organizing and executing the program. Sherry Haller, the Executive Director of the center, said the program will encompass a range of intervention services, including housing assistance, outreach efforts, social service case management and even driver's education. The center will collaborate with contracted service providers to engage with offenders, victims, and their families, aiming to break the cycle of violence and prevent retaliatory acts.

“Today’s victim is tomorrow’s offender,” she said.

Haller said when a shooting occurs in one city, a contracted service provider can respond to the hospital or the neighborhood where the crime occurred to connect with families and friends as preventative outreach strategy to help prevent retaliation.

Norwich Police Chief Patrick Daley said he has recognized an increase in crimes committed by youth ages 15-25 and that one crime sometimes leads others involved to “settle the score,” leading to more crimes. He said he welcomed any attempt to curb that cycle of violence.

The program's focus will extend to involving youth in various initiatives. Norwich City Council member Swaranjit Singh and Wilson expressed their hopes of engaging area youth in productive activities and redirecting their energies.

Leaders from both Mashantucket and Mohegan tribal police departments said the casinos can sometimes be the meeting ground for rival groups.

It will be in the hands of those involved to find what service best meet the needs of the two communities, Haller said, but will likely include programs to involve youth. The Justice Education Center already runs a Career Pathways Tech Collaborative in the state’s technical high schools that allows students to acquire credits toward high school diplomas. Project Longevity has teamed up with the united Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners, Local 326, for job training in attempt to reach those youth who do not plan to attend college.

New London Police Chief Brian Wright said he is a strong advocate of both traditional and nontraditional policing efforts and would like to see buy-in from local faith groups, community and neighborhood groups and schools.

New London County State’s Attorney Paul Narducci, who was also at Thursday’s meeting, said communication between law enforcement agencies is key and crime investigations often migrate across the borders of the two cities and reservations.

“Norwich’s problems are not just Norwich’s problems. They’re southeastern Connecticut’s problems,“ Narducci said.

Osten said committees will be formed and follow-up meetings held to work on requests for proposals for contracted services.

g.smith@theday.com