Project Safe Neighborhoods, Northern District of Illinois - FY 2021

The proposed project period is October 1, 2021 through September 31, 2024 and seeks to focus on reducing crime in Chicago and Rockford, IL. In Rockford, the focus is City-wide, in Chicago the effort is focused on the seven most violent police districts in the city: 4th (South Shore); 7th (Englewood); 9th (Back of the Yards); 10th (Lawndale); 11th (Garfield Park); 15th (Austin); and the newly added 6th District (Auburn/Gresham).

The overarching goal is to reduce violent crime in the most violent neighborhoods in Chicago and Rockford by addressing crime before it happens. In FY 21, the PSN strategy will fund a range of initiatives to support Chicago crime reduction and the growing crime problem in Rockford. 

The NDIL PSN Task Force proposes to address gun trafficking, felon recidivism, youth violence and prevention, gun violence, and gang violence in Chicago. PSN partners in the City of Rockford will continue to address gun violence, gang violence, domestic violence and youth prevention, adding increased prosecution to their strategy this year. While we have a research partner as a member of the PSN Task Force, they are not funded under PSN 2021.

In addition to the development of the Strategic Plan, primary activities include the implementation of the READI for Re-Entry program to conduct pre-release intervention services, coordinating with the Illinois Department of Corrections on parole compliance, supporting the development a pre-release gang intervention pilot program, and increasing overtime for gun trafficking task force activities. We will also be establishing a Special Assistant United States Attorney in the Winnebago County State’s Attorney’s Office to work more effectively, prosecuting cases in either State or federal court.

NDIL Task Force members identified the following priorities to be allocated with PSN 2021 funds:

18.51% of grant funds will be made available to the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center to create gang prevention programming for youth from Chicago’s PSN districts;
24.68% will be made available to the Illinois Department of Corrections to enhance parole compliance checks in Chicago and Rockford PSN districts;
18.51% of funds will be made available to Heartland Alliance for re-entry services for those returning to Chicago’s PSN districts;
24.68% will be made available to the Winnebago County State’s Attorney’s Office to enhance prosecutions in Winnebago County related to the Rockford PSN district; and
13.62% is being made available the Chicago Police Department to support overtime related to gun trafficking task force activities.