FY24 Minnesota Project Safe Neighborhoods Grant

Violence within the urban core Minneapolis and St. Paul and surrounding suburbs continues to suffer from devasting violence: car jackings, gang warfare, automatic handguns, and armed robberies.  
 
Although the number of gunshots recorded in the city fell 29% in 2023, resulting in 129 fewer victims when compared to 2022, there were still over 6,486 gunshots detected on Minneapolis streets. Homicides in Minneapolis were up 160% and gunshot victims were up 57% in 2023 compared to 2019. Carjackings, which peaked in 2021, declined 42% from 2022 to 2023. Still, these decreases are not enough. Much of the violence plaguing the Twin Cities continues to be driven by gangs who are far more likely to use violence to establish reputation and territory. This violent crime crisis is occurring at the same time local police departments are facing a record shortage of officers. The Minneapolis and St. Paul police departments have a fraction of the sworn officers they did before May 2020. With overburdened local prosecutors and state courts, police and sheriffs continue to rely on an increased federal presence, which the United States Attorney's Office is committed to.  
 
The 2024 Project Safe Neighborhoods strategy will directly address all these issues with a priority focus on prevention, intervention, enforcement, and reentry efforts within the urban core of the Twin Cities