Deputy Attorney General Sally Q. Yates today announced that the Justice Department has awarded more than $2 million in funding for the Smart Policing Initiative (SPI). SPI will support four jurisdictions nationwide by helping them build evidence-based, data-driven tactics and strategies to ensure law enforcement agencies are effective, efficient and economical. “The goal of these efforts is to make a difference in each community by helping local law enforcement agencies reduce crime and earn the confidence of the citizens they serve,” said Deputy Attorney General Sally Quillian Yates.
The SPI, a competitive grant program administered by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, creates collaborations between law enforcement officials and researchers in 39 communities to tackle such public safety challenges as neighborhood drug markets, gun violence, domestic violence, and the chronic violent offenders who perpetrate such crimes. It encourages innovative use of analysis, technology, and evidence-based practices, while seeking community input on ways to improve policing practices and increase transparency, accountability and legitimacy. Today’s announcement was made at the 2nd Annual Violence Reduction Network (VRN) Summit. VRN is an unprecedented effort to deliver strategic, intensive training and technical assistance to reduce violence in local communities.
For more information on the Smart Policing Initiative and VRN visit: https://www.bja.gov/ProgramDetails.aspx?Program_ID=80.
https://www.bja.gov/Programs/VRN.html About the Office of Justice Programs (OJP)OJP, headed by Assistant Attorney General Karol V. Mason, provides federal leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice and assist victims. OJP has six components: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; the Office for Victims of Crime and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering and Tracking. More information about OJP can be found at www.ojp.gov.
Source: US Department of Justice
