McGruff Neighborhood Initiative

The Edward Byrne Memorial Discretionary Grants Program, administered by the Office of Justice Programs' (OJP's) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), furthers the Department's mission by assisting state and local jurisdictions in improving the criminal justice system and assisting communities in preventing drug abuse and crime. In fiscal year 2007, the Edward Byrne Memorial Discretionary Grants Program will focus on funding local, regional, and national efforts within six major categories: 1) targeting violent crime; 2) preventing crime and drug abuse; 3) enhancing local law enforcement; 4) enhancing local courts; 5) enhancing local corrections and offender reentry; and 6) facilitating justice information sharing. All categories combat, address, or otherwise respond to precipitous or extraordinary increases in crime, or in a type or types of crime.

The National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) will continue to implement the McGruff® Neighborhood Initiative, a crime prevention program that aims to increase children's safety in their neighborhoods. It builds upon three existing programs--McGruff Club, McGruff House, and McGruff Truck. The McGruff Club program engages elementary schools in teaching children personal safety skills. McGruff Houses (residences) and McGruff Trucks (utility or municipal vehicles) offer temporary havens for children who find themselves in frightening or dangerous situations. NCPC will: increase neighborhood members' knowledge about and commitment to children's safety; increase children's knowledge and skills on how to stay safe; increase children's sense of safety in their neighborhoods through the faithful implementation of McGruff Neighborhood programs; and, guide city neighborhoods through the process of successfully establishing and managing multiple McGruff Neighborhood programs.

CA/NCF