FY2023 Project Safe Neighborhoods

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California (USAO-EDCA) is committed to reducing violent crime.  The Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s premier violent crime program.  The program is concentrated on the most pressing violent crime problems and drivers.  EDCA continues to work with our federal and local law enforcement partners, as well as non-governmental and non-profit organizations to implement programs and strategies to combat violent crime.  The EDCA region consist of 34 counties, serves more than 8 million residents, and consist of 87,000 square miles.  The EDCA faces unique challenges with respect to transnational drug trafficking organizations (DTOs), gangs and violent crime given the District’s proximity to the Mexico border and three (3) major transshipment corridors (California State Route 99, Interstate 5 and 80). 

The Central Valley California (CVC) High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) 2022 Threat Assessment identified Fentanyl as the primary drug threat for the region with 332% increase in CVC HIDTA seizures from 2019 to 2022.  The second most dangerous drug threat was Methamphetamine with a 75% increase in CVC HIDTA seizures.  The California Department of Justice (CA DOJ), Open Justice crimes statistics from 2019 to 2021 for the EDCA shows a 14 % increase in violent crime, 41% increase in homicides, and 23% increase in aggravated assaults.  The CA DOJ Open Justice documented in our District for 2021 violent crime statistics: 44,050 violent crime incidents, 587 homicides, 3,215 rapes, 7,602 robbery’s, 32,468 aggravated assaults, 46,029 domestic violence related calls for assistance with 17,912 involving a weapon.

EDCA will use a collaborative approach to combat violent crimes, transnational DTOs, and firearms to foster safer neighborhoods.  The PSN team will focus its efforts on issues specific to the District, including transnational DTOs, gang violence, ghost guns, auto-switches and illegal silencers found in the District, repeat and habitual violent offenders; and geographic hot spots that have seen recent increases in violent crime rates.  EDCA plans to continue to build on the established and successful enforcement and prosecution practices to combat violent crime.  The reduction of gang violence, transnational DTOs, and firearms, particularly ghost guns and auto-switches and silencers, will continue to be a focus of the program.  The PSN team believes promoting innovative solutions to these specific issues include identifying advanced technology such as equipment and software to further support law enforcement to reduce violent crime and create safer communities.