Comprehensive Anti-Gang Initiative

The Comprehensive Anti-Gang Initiative (CAGI) was launched in March 2006 by the Attorney General as a comprehensive approach to address gang crime and to prevent further gang activity. Chicago, IL and Detroit, MI have been designated as CAGI sites in FY 2008. In addition to Chicago and Detroit, there are ten sites currently participating in CAGI: Tampa, FL; Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX; Cleveland, OH; Route 222 Corridor of Eastern Pennsylvania; Los Angeles, CA; Milwaukee, WI; Raleigh/Durham, NC; Indianapolis, IN; Oklahoma City, OK; and Rochester, NY. Each of the site's activities are coordinated and directed through the U.S. Attorney's Office for the district in which the site is located. The project addresses three components of an anti-gang strategy: suppression/law enforcement, prevention, and reentry.

The Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) will utilize fiscal year 2008 CAGI grant funds to target the southwest, eastern, and northwestern areas of the city of Detroit through the support of overtime, training, and prevention and intervention strategies. Specifically, collaborative sweeps of targeted areas that includes intelligence gathering, drafting of operation plans, and home checks on actively supervised offenders will be conducted by federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Funds will also be used to assist the Michigan State Police (MSP) with the audit of the Detroit Police Department's ballistic laboratory in an effort to facilitate the reopening of the facility, and support overtime costs for an MSP ballistic laboratory analyst to expedite evidence processing. In addition, funds will be applied toward a portion of the salary of a Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor. The prosecutor will focus on cases generated in the targeted areas, gun and gang crimes that do not meet the U.S. Attorney's Office prosecution guidelines, and cases involving juveniles with gang affiliation. The MDOC and Wayne County Sheriff's Office's SPOTCHECK program will also be supported through the grant. The program focuses on offenders under active supervision for gang involvement and crimes. Remaining funds will be directed towards the research partner, Michigan State University, for data collection used in program evaluation, and to the district's Weed and Seed sites for reentry initiatives and community and youth programs.

NCA/CF