Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2009, $500,000)
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 Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office (PBSO) will implement a data-driven problem-oriented policing strategy to significantly reduce the number of robberies and opportunistic crimes occurring within the city and unincorporated area of Lake Worth. The goals are to empower the immigrant community with knowledge and education to prevent them from being victims of crime and encourage them to report crimes; address 'quality of life' issues such as loitering, public alcohol consumption, noise violations, and abandoned properties which contribute to violent crimes; create a proactive intervention team to track and apprehend robbery suspects and respond to 'quality of life' issues; and evaluate program impact. PBSO will partner with Florida State University Center for Criminology and Public Policy Research to collect data, develop realistic performance/outcome measures and evaluate program impact.
CA/NCF