Ceasefire Columbia

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 Columbia, South Carolina, acting as the fiscal agent for the District of South Carolina, will utilize grant funds to coordinate targeted offender follow-up with service providers by hiring a Ceasefire Services Coordinator. In addition, grant funds will be utilized to increase the capacity of ballistic investigations, to improve data-driven analysis of gang and gun crime, as well as expand focused deterrence efforts.

CA/NCF