East Tennessee Anti-Gang Program

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 City of Knoxville serves as the fiscal agent for the Eastern District of Tennessee's 2007 Anti-Gang Initiative. The Eastern District has four major interstate highways, which make Tennessee a national crossroads for private and commercial transportation. The same roads that move commerce are being used for the transportation of illegal drugs, bulk cash shipments from criminal enterprises, commercial cargo thefts, and human trafficking. The District also has three major population centers located around Knoxville, Chattanooga, and the Tri-Cities area (Johnson City, Kingspor, and Bristol) and solid evidence shows that gangs have members in the District, predominately in the metropolitan areas. Many gangs have been involved in drug trafficking (primarily methamphetamine production), robberies, and violent criminal acts. To combat this situation, the Eastern District will utilize the grant funds to make an aggressive effort to: 1) coordinate and focus federal, state, and local law enforcement officers and prosecutors for task force cases and investigations directed at gang related violent and drug crimes with in the District, 2) compile and share criminal and gang related information and support gang related intelligence units and databases, and 3) educate the District's law enforcement officers and prosecutors through outreach and training events.

NCA/NCF