State of Wisconsin FY16 PSN Application

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 Wisconsin Department of Justice, serving as the fiscal agent for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, will use 2016 PSN federal funds to hire a coordinator to organize offender notification sessions with offenders ages 16 to 26 living in neighborhoods in and around the Center Street Corridor who are under criminal justice supervision and at high risk of carrying firearms. The strategy will be modeled on successful strategies implemented in Detroit and Chicago. The Milwaukee PSN Task Force plans to use restorative justice circles to provide structure to the offender notification sessions. Offenders will receive a face-to-face warning from law enforcement representatives together with a joint letter from the US Attorney and Milwaukee County DA stating the clear, individualized consequences that will follow from any offender getting caught with a firearm. The monthly sessions will be held in the community, ensuring an inclusive and supportive environment for the offender surrounded by faith and community based service providers. CA/NCF