Eastern District of Oklahoma FY 2009 Project Safe Neighborhoods Program

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a nationwide commitment to reducing gun crime, links existing local programs together and provides them with necessary tools. PSN 1) takes a hard line against gun criminals, using every available means to create safer neighborhoods; 2) seeks to achieve heightened coordination among federal, state, and local law enforcement; and 3) 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 Oklahoma District Attorneys Council, serving as the fiscal agent for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, will use the grant to target gang and gun crime in Ardmore, McAlester, Idabel, and Heavener. Proposed projects include funding a District Attorney Investigator exclusively dedicated to gang and firearm-related crime prosecutions; the purchase and installation of wiretap equipment which has proven to be especially effective in the prosecution of gang and firearm-related violent crime investigations; and Spanish language immersion training for officers to overcome the language barrier when dealing with the Hispanic gangs that are operating along the extensive highway system in the district. Sub-recipients will be determined by the fiscal agent once the grant is awarded.

NCA/NCF