Operation Home Defense

The Recovery Act Edward Byrne Memorial Competitive Grant Program (Byrne Competitive Program) will help communities improve the capacity of state and local justice systems and provide for national support efforts including training and technical assistance programs strategically targeted to address local needs. This competitive grant announcement focuses on initiatives in eight areas: 1) preventing and reducing violent crime through community-based data-driven approaches; 2) providing funding for neighborhood-based probation and parole officers; 3) reducing mortgage fraud and crime related to vacant properties; 4) hiring of civilian support personnel in law enforcement (training staff, analysts, dispatchers, etc.); 5) enhancing forensic and crime scene investigations; 6) improving resources and services for victims of crime; 7) supporting problem-solving courts; and 8) national training and technical assistance partnerships.

Under category 1, the Phoenix Police Department will use the grant award to expand the comprehensive community-based, data-driven approaches to prevent and reduce violent crime. Operation Home Defense (OHD) will expand the city's capacity to address the rise in border-related crimes. The program will engage the community through established community-based programs that include Weed and Seed, Community Prosecution, Crime Free Multi-Housing, and a new faith-based collaboration. OHD goals are to: hire two criminal intelligence analysts and restore two Special Assistant U.S. Attorney positions within the Phoenix Prosecutor's Office to assist with border-related violent crime; expand the capabilities of the Phoenix Police Department's Home Invasion Kidnapping Enforcement (HIKE) unit by providing specialized equipment; and expand capacity to engage the community in responding to the dramatic rise in home invasions and kidnappings. Phoenix has established the following objectives: 1) reestablishing a comprehensive approach to prosecuting federal firearms-related violent crimes and federal offenses associated with border-related offenses; 2) equipping an expanded HIKE unit for increased investigative and proactive enforcement of border-related crimes; 3) adding analysts to the HIKE unit to support data-driven strategies in combating border-related crimes; and 4) expanding community capacity through training to help law enforcement respond to these crimes. Lastly, OHD will coordinate with other local and federal law enforcement agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Border Enforcement Security Task Force; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona.

CA/NCF