Project Safe Neighborhoods

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 New Hampshire Department of Justice, serving as the fiscal agent for the District of New Hampshire, will use the grant to combat a significant increase in gang activity, particularly in the city of Manchester, and also drug trafficking organizations. These gangs participate in firearms trafficking, armed robbery, organized property crimes, and other violent crimes.

The Hillsborough County Attorney's Office and the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Department will fund a special prosecutor and a special investigator to investigate and prosecute gun crimes and gang-related crimes. The prosecutor position is unique in that the attorney is admitted to both the state and federal bars and can file charges in either venue, enabling him to pursue the most appropriate sentence for the crimes committed. The prosecutions include, but are not limited to, attempted murder, kidnapping, armed robbery, criminal threatening, burglary, stolen firearms, the making of false statements during the attempted acquisition of firearms, felon in possession of firearms, armed career criminals, and the use of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

NCA/NCF