Project Safe Neighborhood-West Virginia Northern District.

The United States Attorney's Office (USAO) for the Northern District of West Virginia serves a population of approximately 861,807 in an urban-rural district, with 17.9% of the population living in poverty. West Virginia continues to face high incidence of violent crimes, often leading with a high rate of gun violence and drug activity in the United States. While explanations for violent crime vary, accessibility to firearms, increased gang activity, problems with drug trafficking and domestic violence are some of the reasons identified to be likely impacting West Virginia. The Northern District will utilize funding to support strategies that address violent crime and to reduce gun and gang violence in high crime areas.  
 
The District will direct Fiscal Year 2024 Project Neighborhoods resources towards the Gun Crime Task Force, a collaborative partnership with numerous local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, to address the rapid and disturbing increase in firearm-related violent crime in the Northern District of West Virginia. Suppression and prevention efforts will focus on WV Northern Panhandle and surrounding cities, building upon current gun and gang violence initiatives. The proposed project goal will be to reduce violent gang and gun crime in hot spots through targeted enforcement of high value individuals and groups, robust and effective prosecution of offenders, and through prevention and community engagement. Funding will support our objective of preventing, responding to, and driving down violent crime; effectively using intelligence to identify high crime areas and prolific violent offenders; and maintaining coordination among law enforcement officials at all levels.  Funds will be directed to local law enforcement agencies in at least one of the target areas to support their involvement in gang task force activities by collaborating through the Gun Crime Task Force.  Additionally, funding will allow for the District's and the Department of Justice's joint mission to create and foster safer neighborhoods through a sustained reduction in violent crime.