Eastern District of Michigan Project Safe Neighborhoods Program

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a nationwide commitment to reducing gun crime, links existing local programs together and provides them with necessary tools. PSN takes a hard line against gun criminals, using every available means to create safer neighborhoods; seeks to achieve heightened coordination among federal, state, and local law enforcement; and 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 Eastern District of Michigan will use FY 08 PSN funds to combat gang and gun violence in the Northwest and Eastern Police Districts of the city of Detroit. Funding will be used pay Michigan State University, the District's research partner, to provide technical assistance, as well as providing statistical data as it relates to the PSN program. Funding will also be used to reinvigorate a media campaign; the youth educational/Project Sentry component; and the Face-to-Face program, which provides individuals on probation and parole in Detroit with information about the consequences of possessing firearms, drugs, and gang affiliation.

In addition, funding will be allocated to supplement the Weed and Seed site's drug and gang prevention and intervention initiative, Drug Education for Youth (DEFY). The DEFY experience is a six-day non-residential camp held at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Mt. Clemens, Michigan. The curriculum, which was developed by the U.S. Navy Drug Demand Reduction Department, includes important skills such as setting goals, avoiding violent conflicts, refusing an offer of drugs from a friend, gang awareness, and peer pressure resistance. This program also contains a ten month mentoring component involving educational as well as recreational activities designed to promote drug prevention awareness and self-esteem.

The Weed and Seed sites within the district will facilitate and coordinate the district's gun crime prevention initiative, Project Sentry, as well as the district's drug and violence prevention programming, including the annual DEFY camp.

NCA/NCF