Byrne Criminal Justice Hot-spots and community engagement

The Fulton County Government, located in Georgia, submits this grant application, for $ 1 million to create a cross-sector community collaboration to effectively address violent crime issues and advance broader community redevelopment goals.  The Fulton County District Attorney’s Office (FCDAO) is partnering with the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO), the Credible Messenger Program (CMP) of the United States Attorney’s Office (USAO), Siloam Church International (SCI) and the Friends of Collier Heights Park (FCHP) in the effort.

Fulton is largest and its largest city, Atlanta, is the capital of Georgia. Fulton County is facing a violent crime wave. Atlanta police have investigated 70 homicide cases in 2021, a 58% increase over this time last year.  The driver of the violent crime are gangs taking over apartment complexes to run their criminal enterprise.

Fulton County Community Coalition is focusing on two neighborhoods where the gangs are prominent in the apartment complexes: Fairburn Mays in the City of Atlanta and Red Oak in the City of South Fulton.

Fairburn Mays is fenced in by Interstate I-285 on the East, Fulton Industrial Highway on the Western, MLK Drive to the North and by Benjamin Mays Drive to the South. The neighborhood sits entirely within the 30331-zip code and has a population of about 1481.

Red Oak Red Oak is bordered by I-285 to the East, Fulton Parkway/Welcome All Road to the West, Roosevelt Highway and the CSX Railroad to the South and Will Lee Road to the North. The bulk of the area sits in the 30349-zip code with the I-285 section located in 30337. The population is 2356.

The project has a Letter of Interest from the United States Attorney’s Office and will be coordinating with the USAO’s PSN Credible Messenger Program to deliver programs in the target neighborhood.

The Fulton County Coalition will work with Applied Research Services to determine exact crime hotspots, examine crime drivers and use data and evidence based models to lead to successful investigation and prosecution of leaders of gang enterprises.

The objectives of the project are to create and strengthen cross sector partnerships, building trust between law enforcement and residents that reduce violent crime and employ neighborhood revitalization strategies.

The FCDAO will hire an experienced project coordinator.

 The FCDAO will leverage a $500,000 OJJP Comprehensive Anti-Gang Programs for Youth Grant services to provide in depth, wrap arounds services to at risk youth in hotspots