FY24 Northern District of Georgia PSN

The Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) is pleased to submit this application on behalf of the Northern District of Georgia's United States Attorney's Office (USAO) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). CJCC will use the funds to support local law enforcement and other agencies, including non-governmental organizations that target chronic repeat offenders in the Northern District of Georgia (NDGA). The goal of the strategy is to create and foster safer neighborhoods by addressing gang and repeated violent offender issues to keep the citizens of the Northern District of Georgia safe. A steering committee will provide overall guidance and direction to the PSN Task Force.  
 
The USAO is implementing a comprehensive prevention strategy to complement the coordinated enforcement efforts throughout the entire district and violent repeat offender sites, including debriefing of juveniles to identify adults who are driving their violent criminal activity. The Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) will continue to implement a Credible Messenger initiative to intervene with high-risk juveniles who will be released back into northern district communities. The Credible Messenger Model is an evidence-based prevention strategy that has rendered significant reductions in shootings and killings, re-arrests, and attitudes supporting violence. The Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC), Georgia Department of Community Supervision (DCS), Federal Bureau of Prisons, and United States Probation Office will intervene with high-risk adult offenders who are in state or federal custody.  
 
The USAO will use a portion of grant funds, 30 percent, to support gang prevention and intervention efforts throughout the Northern District. The USAO is requesting funding for the continued support of the Georgia Chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Gang Prevention Initiative which provides officer training on gang awareness and identification as well as gang prevention and intervention education to at-risk youth within the public school system.