FY07 Anti-Gang Initiative

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.

Rhode Island has approximately 17 gangs totaling 2,000 members and associates. Most of the gangs are involved in low-level drug trafficking, property crimes, and street violence, which includes felony assaults, drive-by shootings, and homicides. To combat this situation, the District has adopted a three-pronged approach that incorporates two of the components of the district's Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN) initiative and adds an anti-gang program to the Rhode Island Training School. Specifically, the District has identified various agencies to address the gang problems and will use its FY 2007 Anti-Gang Initiative to fund the following projects: 1) The Providence Police Department will fund overtime to officers conducting extended gang investigations and field interviews; 2) The Department for Children, Youth and Families will employ a person for data entry and generation of reports and employ a program leader to set up and conduct a serious of meetings with various agencies to analyze data and discuss program implications; and 3) The City of Providence will provide Streetworker outreach workers to conduct regular outreach to high-risk youth on the streets, in schools, homes, parks, courthouses and other locations where youth congregate.

NCA/NCF