2008 Gun and Gang Violence Reduction 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.

Court Services and Offenders Supervision Agency (CSOSA), serving as the fiscal agent for the District of Columbia, will use the grant to address violence in underserved communities by utilizing prevention, intervention, and suppression activities. The district will address at-risk and high-risk youth in the district in an effort to provide wrap-around services, including mentoring, education, truancy prevention, family strengthening, substance abuse prevention, life skills training, recreational activities, and parental support; focus on providing youth with positive alternatives to street life through conflict resolution and street-level outreach; and partner with local and federal law enforcement to aggressively combat violent crime and gang activity.

Grant funds will support the activities described in the following sentences. Mentoring Today will serve youth who are returning from juvenile incarceration and reintegrating into the community with the goal of keeping young men from returning to criminal behavior. Metropolitan Police Department will enhance the capability and effectiveness of DC's Gun Recovery and Narcotics Units through the acquisition of advance surveillance equipment. East of the River Clergy-Police Community Partnership will expand efforts in the Woodland Terrace housing complex, targeting at-risk youth. Latin American Youth Center will support an intervention program addressing female gang violence. Youth Adult Corps will conduct gang prevention and intervention efforts in high crime areas in the fifth police district. CSOSA will provide training and technical assistance at the direction of the PSN task force.

NCA/NCF