BJA FY 2023 Project Safe Neighborhoods Formula Grant Program

The PSN Task Force for the District of Idaho has developed a strategy for use of the PSN grant to support our goal of reducing violent crime in Idaho.  The PSN Task Force, consisting of representatives from Idaho State Police, Canyon County Sheriff’s Office, Nampa Police Department, Caldwell Police Department, ATF, FBI, and the United States Attorney’s Office, has developed an overall plan composed of three primary components. 

     The first component seeks to identify means of improving state and federal communication and criminal intelligence sharing in ongoing and prospective investigations, and identify methods of increasing the information accessible to patrol officers and investigators.  Funds supporting this end could increase means of communications between state officers and federal officers, as well as additional equipment or criminal intelligence resources that facilitates the same. 

     The second component seeks to improve electronic access to information to state and local officers, as well as identifying additional training to local and state officers on federal law.  Additionally, in light of the open-carry laws enacted in Idaho, public forums to educate the community on safe gun ownership and possession could also be helped with additional funding. 

     The third component identifies means of relaying the harms of drugs, violence, and guns to our local communities.  One identified means of accomplishing this goal includes identifying members of the community who are most vulnerable to the trappings of criminal, violent activity through outreach programs—such as school trainings. 

     The target area for the District’s PSN 2023 application is statewide to decrease gun violence through: training and coordination of local and state law enforcement efforts related to gun violence, providing law enforcement criminal intelligence resources related to gun crime, research and data analysis related to gun crime and gang activity, and supporting education efforts to those community members most likely to commit future violence.  A specific emphasis in the 2023 Idaho District Subawards will be law enforcement participation in the Idaho NIBIN program.

     The funding will be allocated as follows: 3% to the fiscal agent, 5% to grant required travel for the PSN Task Force, 92% to be determined by the PSN Task Force based on applications for subawards with not less than 30% going to law enforcement.