FY 2008 Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative

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 Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement, serving as the fiscal agent for the Western District of Louisiana, will use the grant to coordinate law enforcement and prevention activities that reduce violent crime. The district's PSN strategy seeks to: create safer neighborhoods by reducing gun and gang violence and gun crime and sustaining that reduction; continue to assess the threat posed by gun and gang-related crimes in the five major population areas; continue to aggressively prosecute gun and gang-related offenses by supporting increased law enforcement programs that specifically identify, target, and arrest chronic, violent armed offenders and criminal organizations; and continue to educate juveniles on gun and gang-related issues and the consequences of violent crime.

The grant will fund activities in the Lake Charles and Southwest Louisiana Region, city of Shreveport, and the parishes of Caddo, Iberia, St. Mary, St. Martin, Morehouse, Ouachita, Lafayette, and Bossier. Lake Charles Police Department will fund "Operation Trigger Time" program. The Shreveport Police Department (City of Shreveport/Caddo Parish) will pay overtime for detectives working to identify and dismantle gangs and criminal organizations. The 16th Judicial District Attorney's Office (Iberia, St. Mary, and St. Martin Parishes) will pay salary costs for a PSN coordinator to provide assistance to local law enforcement agency in the recovery of illegal firearms. The Fourth Judicial District Attorney's Office (Morehouse and Ouachita Parishes) will implement an anti-gang initiative and gun crime prevention program targeting children and youths ages 8-26 in high risk crime areas. The Fifteenth Judicial District Court (Lafayette Parish) will fund the 'Choose Life, End Violence, Earn Respect' (C.L.E.V.E.R.) program which educates Lafayette Parish middle school students on how to avoid dangerous encounters, reduce gun and gang violence, truancy, and drug use within Lafayette Parish. The Shreveport Housing Authority (Caddo and Bossier Parishes) will continue its youth outreach and mentoring program entitled "Operation Drop It Like It's Hot" which provides education and training workshops for youth and their parents on decreasing gang activity, gun-related violence, and related criminal activity. Finally, ThinkFirst of Ark-La-Tex (Caddo Parish) will expand their violence impact assemblies into other surrounding areas.

NCA/NCF