Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2007, $210,609)
The Anti-Gang Initiative provides funds to support new or expanded anti-gang enforcement and prevention efforts under the existing Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Initiative. These new funds may be used by the PSN task force to combat gangs by leveraging current strategies and partnerships developed under PSN initiatives or may be used to develop new anti-gang initiatives. The Anti-Gang initiative will be led by the United States Attorney in each of the 94 federal judicial districts across America. Grant funds will be awarded to a single fiscal agent in each of the 94 districts. The fiscal agent, in coordination with the PSN task force, will allocate the funds throughout the community to support the anti-gang initiative in that community.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, serving as the fiscal agent for the Northern District of Florida, will use the grant funds to conduct specialized training for law enforcement in gang recognition, investigation, data collection, and information sharing. The Northern District identified three agencies (Alachua County Sheriff's Office, Blountstown Police Department, and Gadsden County Sheriff's Office) to implement their Anti-Gang Initiative.
The Alachua County Sheriff's Office will create a Youth Violence Unit. The Unit will gather gang-related criminal intelligence and share the information with other law enforcement agencies and the Youth Violence Task Force. They will conduct gang intelligence training for other agencies, coordinate a conference to discuss gang issues, and create a prevention plan for at-risk youth.
Blountstown Police Department will improve the identification and documentation of individuals involved in gang related activity and provide gang prevention education to area youth.
The Gadsden County Sheriff's Office will create a Community Anti-Gang Task Force (CAGTF) to formalize cooperation between law enforcement, criminal/juvenile justice agencies, and the community in order to increase quality of life. The CAGTF will develop a Community Justice Plan including crime prevention, restorative justice, and community support services, and will hold workshops to engage the community in the plan. The CAGTF will also assist the community in adopting and implementing the plan to overcome gang violence.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Office of Statewide Intelligence will use their expertise in data collection and information sharing to improve the district's success in reducing gang participation and gang crime. They will conduct a district-wide Gang Threat Assessment, in addition to other surveys, arrests, incident reports, criminal and correctional activities, prosecutions, and other means to identify gang problems and evaluate the Northern District Anti-Gang Initiative goals and objectives.
NCA/NCF