GunStat: Memphis Model

As part of BJA’s Smart Suite, the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), represents a strategic approach that brings more “science” into criminal justice operations by leveraging innovative applications of analysis, technology, and evidence-based practices with the goal of improving performance and effectiveness while containing costs. The program's effectiveness is based on the cooperation of local, state, and federal agencies engaged in a unified approach led by the U.S. Attorney (USA) in each district. The USA is responsible for establishing a collaborative PSN task force of federal, state, and local law enforcement and other community members to implement gang violence and gun crime enforcement, intervention and prevention initiatives within the district. Through the PSN task force, the USA will implement the five design features of PSN—partnerships, strategic planning, training, outreach, and accountability—to address specific gun crime and gang violence problems in that district.

The City of Memphis will use FY 2016 PSN funding for implementation of GunStat to provide an intensive data-driven evidence with which to make more informed decisions, conduct valid evaluations, integrate street-level intelligence, develop and integrate strategies to reduce youth violent gun crime, and develop more effective task force operations in select target areas to more efficiently execute suppression efforts– all critical elements designed to reduce overall violent gun crime. The most critical component of GunStat is coordination and collaboration among law enforcement, prosecutors, the judicial community, and evaluators serving as a catalyst to transform reactive law enforcement activities to a consistent, proactive strategy targeting chronic, violent gun offenders and utilize evaluation of program impact on offender outcomes, violent gun crime, and gang-related gun crime to determine GunStat effectiveness.
CA/NCF.