Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Pilot Program in Indian Country

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.

St. Bonaventure Indian Mission and School will serve as the fiscal agent for the Indian Country Pilot Project, and will use the grant funds to combat gang, gun, juvenile, and domestic violence in the Dlo'ayazhi community of New Mexico. The PSN task force will utilize 60 percent of the grant funds to implement robust law enforcement, gang and gun violence interdiction operations, and prosecution objectives, and 40 percent to implement the gang, gun, and juvenile violence prevention objectives, as well as the domestic violence interdiction, prevention, and prosecution objectives. Subawards will be made to the following: 1) Navajo Nation Department of Public Safety will fund officer overtime to support 32 additional gun and gang interdiction operations during the grant period; 2) New Mexico State Police will fund officer overtime for the Impact Team to support four gun and gang interdiction operations; 3) New Mexico Motor Transport Division will fund officer overtime to support four of the gun and gang interdiction operations; 4) Frank Del Margo (Taos Mountain Indian Tribe) will support classroom gun crime reduction and gang violence training for seven target community middle schools over four semesters; 5) a contractor will provide PSN project-related coordination within the Dlo'ayazhi community, to include community awareness events, school prevention activities, and other administrative support activities; 6) Navajo Social Services will provide domestic violence case referral and management within the Dlo'ayazhi sub-communities; and 7) McKinley County Sherrifs Office will provide domestic violence case referral and management within the Dlo'ayazhi sub-communities.

NCA/NCF