Arizona FY 2011 Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a nationwide commitment to reducing gun and gang crime, links existing local programs together and provides them with necessary tools. PSN 1) takes a hard line against persons involved in gun and gang crime, 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 Arizona Criminal Justice Commission (AJC), will serve as the fiscal agent for the District of Arizona, will reduce significant gang and gun crime within the state of Arizona, provide media and community outreach services, increase the enhancement and sharing of intelligence information and analysis, and support correctional programming for gang-affiliated inmates. AJC will support the collection and dissemination of gang and gun crime data through providing overtime funds to local law enforcement agencies to target special investigations focused on gang and gun crime. AJC will also provide overtime for trained personnel to test and enter evidence into the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network in order to reduce or eliminate case backlog. PSN funds will establish partnerships with law enforcement, prosecution, and community organizations to establish a community notification team in the state's correctional facilities, and will deliver anti-gang and anti-gun messages to targeted gang members prior to their release. Finally, AJC will deliver gun violence prevention messages to four high-crime, high-risk neighborhoods, make presentations to schools and communities, and develop media partnerships to facilitate the distribution of gun violence prevention messages in English and Spanish. Sub-recipients will be determined by the fiscal agent once the grant is awarded.

NCA/NCF