Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2008, $99,081)
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a nationwide commitment to reducing gun crime, links existing local programs together and provides them with necessary tools. PSN 1) takes a hard line against gun criminals, using every available means to create safer neighborhoods; 2) seeks to achieve heightened coordination among federal, state, and local law enforcement; and 3) emphasizes tactical intelligence gathering, more aggressive prosecutions, and enhanced accountability through performance measures. The United States Attorney in each federal judicial district will lead the offensive. The fiscal agent, in coordination with the PSN Task Force, will allocate funds throughout the community.
The Iowa Governor's Office of Drug Control Policy, the fiscal agent for the Southern District of Iowa, will utilize 2008 PSN funding to: 1) increase police presence in problematic neighborhoods; 2) provide additional investigative resources for gun-related activity; 3) increase the awareness of federal firearms laws and crime scene investigation techniques; and 4) increase resource sharing efforts to combat gun crime and divert juveniles at high risk for gang involvement.
Funding will also be provided to the Division of Criminal and Juvenile Justice Planning, the PSN research partner, to continue the Search of Information with Firearms Tie-Ins (SIFT) program. The Division of Criminal and Juvenile Justice Planning will continue to use the SIFT program to screen persons arrested for firearms related charges in Iowa, particularly homicides, aggravated assaults, and robberies, for gang membership and possible federal prosecution.
The Council Bluffs Police Department will continue to train its officers and other related agencies in the nine county southwest Iowa region on federal firearms laws and crime scene investigation techniques. The department will also work with the Region 4 Fusion Center to increase its capacity for information sharing and will assist county attorneys in the southwest region in forming Firearms Review Teams to review all cases and determine where each case will be prosecuted. The department will continue to investigate firearms crimes in the community, trace all firearms involved, and analyze the information so that plans can be developed to combat problem areas.
The Davenport Police Department, the PSN intervention specialist, and others will identify up to 30 youth ages 8-17 who are at risk for gang involvement, and refer the youth and their families to Bethany for Children and Families for intensive intervention services. The program will provide educational assistance, monitoring and counseling, life skills development, therapeutic recreational services, vocational counseling, connection to community resources, and crisis intervention, based on the participants' needs.
The Des Moines Police Department will provide additional enforcement to increase the number of arrests for illegal gang activity and prevent the resurgence of gang-related criminal activity. Intelligence will be gathered to provide law enforcement with an organized approach to identifying, tracking, and deterring gang-related criminal behavior.
NCA/NCF