Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2009, $300,000)
This program is funded under both the Edward Byrne Memorial Competitive Grant Program (Byrne Competitive Program) and the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program. Authorized by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2009 (Pub. L. 111-8), the Byrne Competitive Program helps local communities improve the capacity of state and local justice systems and provides for national support efforts including training and technical assistance programs strategically targeted to address local needs. The JAG Program (42 U.S.C. 3751(a)) is the primary provider of federal criminal justice funding to state and local jurisdictions, and JAG funds support all components of the criminal justice system.
The Smart Policing Initiative seeks to build upon the concepts of 'offender-based' and 'place-based' policing and broaden the knowledge of effective policing strategies. The most convincing research demonstrates that 'place-based' or 'hotspot' policing reduces violent crime and neighborhood disorder. This initiative address the need for effective policing that requires a tightly focused, collaborative approach that is measurable, based on sound, detailed analysis and includes policies and procedures for accountability.
The City of Savannah will support the Savannah-Chatham Metro Police Department (SCMPD) in the implementation of the Smart Policing Project. SCMPD will identify chronic violent crime areas through hot spot analysis and target violent recidivists via punitive and rehabilitative means with the objectives of reducing both repeat offender crimes and crimes occurring in identified hot spots. Elements of the project include: identification of the top 100 violent offenders; creation and maintenance of intelligence packets; monitoring and field interviews of high-risk individuals; engagement of the district attorney's office via a focused adjudication process; adoption of a pre-trail ankle monitoring system; and a re-entry program for probationers and parolees. All efforts will be assessed and evaluated by a partnership with Savannah State University.
CA/NCF