Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2021, $94,012)
Proposed Project Period: October 1, 2021 – September 30, 2024
The District of Montana’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative targets violent crime in Montana communities significantly impacted by violent crime. The District’s PSN strategy couples aggressive research and enforcement efforts with support for methamphetamine prevention and treatment, and prisoner re-entry programs in targeted communities in order to reduce violent crime, while identifying and taking appropriate actions when dealing with offenders involved in gang-related activities.
The Project Goal is to reduce violent crime by protecting the public from those persons causing violence, including methamphetamine traffickers and dealers, armed robbers, violent felons who continue to illegally possess firearms, and the most significant violent offenders who have pending arrest warrants.
The Project Objective is to establish and implement effective programs and strategies that enable PSN task forces to effectively and sustainably prevent, respond to, and reduce violent crime, with a focus on the investigation and prosecution of criminal and/or transnational organizations that are engaged in high levels of violent crime, firearms offenses, human trafficking, and drug trafficking. This focus may also include research, outreach, prevention, and reentry programs when appropriate.
Service Areas: Law enforcement in both Yellowstone and Missoula Counties regional focused service areas have identified methamphetamine as the most prevalent drug and a primary crime driver causing violent crime and the presence of criminal and/or transnational gang-related organizations, to increase.
Primary Activities, Products and Deliverables:
Identify the locations within the Yellowstone County and Missoula County jurisdictional areas where violent crime is most likely to occur and where violent crime reduction efforts will be the most effective;
Identify the offenders who are causing and driving the violence within these areas, and the contributing factors helping to facilitate violent activities;
Coordinate and de-conflict violent offender/crime investigations;
Ensure that the most violent offenders are apprehended and prosecuted in the jurisdiction that provides the most certain and appropriate sanctions; and
Ensure that all members of drug distribution conspiracies are charged or diverted to drug court.
Identify and take appropriate actions when dealing with offenders involved in gang-related activities.
This proposed project will identify, investigate, apprehend, and prosecute dangerous drug and violent offenders, and offenders involved in gang-related activities, thereby benefitting Montana communities and citizens, helping to keep them safe.