Project Safe Neighborhoods

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Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is a national initiative by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to improve neighborhood safety and decrease gun violence in American communities.

The program was established in 2001 with the support of then-President George W. Bush. It drew from strategies used successfully in Boston, Massachusetts (Operation Ceasefire), and Richmond, Virginia (Project Exile).

In practice, the program operates through U.S. Attorney's offices to support local law enforcement through research and data analysis, training, and coordination of enforcement efforts to break up violent organizations (gangs) through more aggressive application of federal laws— most notably 18 U.S.C. § 922(g), which lists several classes of individuals, including fugitives from justice, convicted felons, and illegal drug users, who are forbidden to possess firearms that have crossed state lines.

The program was revamped in 2021, adopting "newly articulated core principles" which included "fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results of our efforts."

Birmingham area programs

In the Birmingham area, Project Safe Neighborhoods programs have been administered by the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama. Since November 2016 Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy Sherer has served as the office's Project Safe Neighborhoods coordinator.

In 2003 Department of Justice awarded the District a grant to fund a researcher and crime analyst partner at UAB. That program continued with a range of funding sources.

In 2008, following an uptick in homicides, the Department of Justice selected Birmingham as one of 12 cities in which to conduct "Comprehensive Anti-Gang Training" (CAGT) for local law enforcement agencies.

As of 2017 the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance had awarded Project Safe Neighborhoods programs in Birmingham $298,517. (link)

In April 2018, U.S. Attorney Jay Town incorporated Project Safe Neighborhoods into a broader "Public Safety Partnership", dubbed PSP Birmingham, and used his "convening authority" to involve representatives of the Mayor's office, Birmingham Police Department, Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, FBI Birmingham Field Office, ATF Birmingham Field Office, DEA Birmingham District Office, and the U.S. Marshals Service in a Birmingham Public Safety Task Force (BPSTF). The group held weekly meetings facilitated by site liaison Theron Bowman.

The group prioritized going after the most dangerous repeat violent offenders and prosecuting them with the aid of evidence processed by the the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network. At the same time, the Birmingham Safe Neighborhoods Task Force (BSNTF) focused its efforts on addressing "root causes" of violence through collaborations with community leaders, non-profit organizations, religious groups and businesses. They adopted a goal to "create a coordinated action plan around prevention and reentry," with involvement from the Housing Authority of Birmingham District (HABD), the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles, and the Alabama Department of Youth Services.

By September, a review of the program noted that prosecutions for violent crimes had gone up by 40% from 2016, while violent crimes had dropped off over the course of the year, including a 49% drop in non-fatal shootings since March. The program was funded for three years.

References

External links

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