FY 2021 Project Safe Neighborhoods Training and Technical Assistance Program

Established in 2001, the Department of Justice (DOJ) Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program is designed to create and foster safer communities through sustained reductions in violence. PSN is guided by four design features: community engagement, prevention and intervention, focused and strategic enforcement, and accountability. To further support all 94 US Attorney’s Offices (USAO) PSN teams in their violence reduction efforts, the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) established a cooperative agreement with CNA in 2021 to lead the PSN Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) program. The current PSN TTA program, consisting of CNA and its partners—Michigan State University (MSU), the National District Attorneys Association (NDAA), and the National Center for Victims of Crime (NCVC)—is a resource for all PSN partners that helps address the needs of PSN teams across the nation as they continue efforts to reduce violence in their communities.

Through this supplement award, CNA will build on the TTA it currently provides to support the PSN TTA program by completing the following activities: (1) help support the planning and execution of the 2023 DOJ Violent Crime Reduction Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana; (2) develop written resources and other forms of TTA based on content covered at the 2023 DOJ Violent Crime Reduction Conference; (3) collaborate with BJA and the Executive Office for United States Attorneys (EOUSA) to identify PSN districts most in need of TTA support; (4) identify a select number of PSN teams to serve as peer-exchange sites based on their implementation of promising practices related to the four PSN design elements; (5) deliver virtual and in-person trainings and operational assessments to PSN sites; (6) host in-person workshops to provide PSN teams with hands-on training on topics such as Community Violence Intervention (CVI), data collection and outcome measurement, and community collaboration and trust-building; (7) produce case studies of PSN sites that showcase innovations by PSN teams and highlight successful strategies for reducing violence and making communities safer; and (8) develop new training curricula and innovative forms of TTA delivery in response to emergent PSN site team needs.

The project will be led by an experienced project director, with support from a robust leadership team, TTA partners, regional liaisons, and analysts. In addition, CNA has a well-integrated team of national leaders and SMEs who bring specialized expertise, skills, and experience in developing, implementing, and evaluating successful, evidence-based violence reduction strategies and practices.