FY 2009 Project Safe Neighborhoods ' Southern District of New York

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 Fund for the City of New York, Center for Court Innovation, serving as the fiscal agent for the Southern District of New York, will use the grant to implement strategies targeting anti-gang and gun crime reduction efforts centering within the city of Yonkers, the Bronx, and the city of Newburgh. PSN efforts in the Bronx involve the funding of a detective investigator who will work with prosecutors and develop information from confidential informants. A community assistant within the Bronx District Attorney's Office Community Affairs Unit tasked with conducting a youth intervention program focusing on educating the dangers of gun violence, gangs, and drugs will also be supported. The city of Yonkers will fund a gang prevention coordinator who will work in collaboration with the Yonkers Police Department to provide safe and appropriate alternatives to young adults who want to leave gangs and a consultant with a non-profit employment assistance organization that will provide employment readiness assessments, employment plans, and connections to training and job placement for former gang members. The city of Newburgh Police Department will fund additional overtime hours for a field intelligence officer who will target street level criminal activity during days and times of the highest frequency in identified areas of the city.

NCA/CF