Project Safe Neighborhoods and Anti-Gang Initiative - Eastern District of California

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 California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, serving as the fiscal agent for the Eastern District of California, will use the grant to fund programs to reduce gun and gang violence in the district. The PSN task force will support initiatives in the counties of Fresno, Kern, Merced, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Solano, and Stanislaus.

The Sacramento Police Department and Sacramento County Sheriff's Department will increase forensic support and expertise in gun prosecutions by providing funds for a multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional technology application that will assist in the identification and prosecution of gun offenders. The system is the Integrated Ballistic Identification System, and in addition to aiding local investigations and prosecutions, this effort will provide investigative data to the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network.

Merced, Kern, and Solano Counties will support three multi-jurisdictional, multi-agency gang and violent offender enforcement task forces that will conduct enforcement sweeps to seize, disrupt, and prevent gang violence before it occurs by apprehending and prosecuting gang members for drug trafficking, firearms violations, parole and probation violations, and other associated crimes. Fresno, Sacramento, and San Joaquin Counties will conduct public education campaigns through the media markets on gang and gun violence. Stanislaus County District Attorney's Office will partially fund a district attorney investigator who serves as a county-wide liaison to the United States Attorney's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms to identify and file all PSN cases.

NCA/NCF