2007 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.

The selection committee for the PSN Task Force has selected its current PSN fiscal agent, Community Foundation of Central Georgia, Inc. to administer the 2007 Anti-Gang Initiative funds for the Middle District of Georgia. The fiscal agent will retain less than ten percent of the total award for administrative expenses and will sub-grant the remaining portion to four agencies.

Specific projects include: (1) Families and Schools Together - Deterrence, Resistance, Awareness (FAST DRAW): This is an extension of PSN that is specifically designed to provide community outreach on gun crime education, federal penalties, and PSN goals, and uses a multi-family group format that supports development of relationships among parents, schools, and the community to enhance childrens' academic and social performance; (2) Macon Regional Student Crime-stoppers: Student Crime-stoppers is a partnership between law enforcement, county school systems, media, and the community to promote gun deterrence strategies; (3) Macon Police Department: The department will procure equipment needed to help increase arrests and convictions of gang- and gun-related crimes, and will produce anti-gang literature for local dissemination; and (4) Drug Free Coalition of Macon: This is a community-based coalition that meets monthly to discuss community strategies to reduce risk factors directly correlated with drug use among youth.

Federal funds will cover the following costs for each sub-recipient project: FAST DRAW (personnel and fringe, trainings, and consultant services for evaluations); Student Crime-stoppers (personnel and various educational materials); Macon Police Department (computer, camera, and audio/visual equipment, and anti-gang literature); and Drug-Free Coalition of Macon (task force travel to gang conferences and consultant rates for delivery of anti-gang workshops to coalition members).

NCA/NCF