Western District of Arkansas PSN

The United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) Western District of Arkansas covers 300 miles from the northwest corner to the southwest corner of the state, mostly rural. There are 34 counties included in the Western District. Key partners in the USAO's Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiatives are identified as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration ; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Arkansas State Police; Department of Homeland Security; 4th Judicial District; 18th EAST Judicial District; 13th Judicial District; City of Fayetteville; City of Rogers; City of Springdale; City of Hot Springs; Drug Task Forces; PSN Task Force members; identified PSN Selection Committee; and Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration (Fiscal Agent)  The Western District of Arkansas will use PSN funds to  implement the district’s approved Strategic Action Plan.

The Strategic Action Plan addresses violent crime, including, but not limited to, criminal gangs and felonious possession and use of firearms. The plans are to continue to coordinate and collaborate as well as establish effective partnerships with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to identify and implement strategies to reduce violent crime in the district. For effective prosecution, emphasis will be on training of law enforcement personnel. An additional focus will be to support gang task forces. The proposed project period for the PSN action plan development and implementation phase are October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2027 (36-months).

The jurisdiction's crime rate and crime drivers are reflective of the increased indictments for drug trafficking and firearm offenses and some geographically isolated areas. The increase can be tied to the economic development growth and the increased population in the jurisdiction. PSN program funding will be used to prioritize criminals and/or criminal cases with violent activity, gangs and drug trafficking criminal histories along with emphasis on areas in the district that are experiencing significant presence of high levels of violent crime, firearm offenses, human and drug trafficking. The USAO Western District of Arkansas will continue to build capacity through specific trainings and the implementation of identified evidence-based interventions that are effective in reducing violent/gun crime. The geographic focus of the PSN interventions will be primarily for the divisions in the district that are heavily populated and reflect an increase in federal prosecutions of firearms and violent crime.