More Than $17.5 Million in PSN Grants Awarded Nationwide
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Department of Justice announced today that it has awarded more than $200,000 to the Kansas City Metropolitan Crime Commission, part of more than $17.5 million in grants awarded nationwide to support the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program.
“This funding will support efforts in Kansas City, Mo., and across the country to address violent crime, including the gun violence that is often at its core," said Acting U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore. “The Kansas City Metropolitan Crime Commission has been a trusted partner in our Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative. The district’s PSN Task Force focuses on areas with the highest violent crime rates in Kansas City, the neighborhoods where most of the homicides and non-fatal shootings occur, to make the most impact on public safety."
The Kansas City Metropolitan Crime Commission was awarded $209,477 as the designated fiscal agent to administer grant funds to support local PSN projects that work in partnership with U.S. Attorney’s Office. One of 88 recipients announced today, the Crime Commission will begin the process of making subawards for PSN grant projects.
The selected target area remains an important area for community policing, neighborhood action and enforcement efforts. The Western District of Missouri's PSN program is also working to partner with community engagement and prevention assets to reduce violent crime. The PSN program plans to reintroduce several proven past community awareness strategies, and add to them a targeted social media campaign, to spread the message that those committing violent acts in our community will face severe consequences.
In addition to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Kansas City Metropolitan Crime Commission, members of the district’s PSN Task Force include the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, and the Independence Police Department. Federal partners on the task force include the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Marshals Service, and Homeland Security Investigations.
“This latest Project Safe Neighborhoods grant is critical to addressing the violent crime threatening cities and towns all across our country," said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “Ensuring the safety of all Americans is the highest priority for the Department of Justice, but when it comes to violent crime, there is not a one-size-fits-all solution. We have to work closely with local public safety agencies as well as community organizations to craft individual strategies unique to each community’s needs. Programs like Project Safe Neighborhoods and the funding it provides allow us to do just that."
The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), part of the department’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP), will administer the 88 grant awards.
“Investing in our communities, supporting victims and building a justice system that both keeps people safe and earns their trust - these are mutually reinforcing goals that stand at the heart of Project Safe Neighborhoods," said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Amy L. Solomon for OJP. “The Office of Justice Programs is pleased to join with our U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, and with jurisdictions across the country, as we work together to meet the challenges of crime and violence and achieve our shared aspirations of public safety and community trust."
In May 2021, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced a new effort to reduce violent crime, including the gun violence that is often at its core. Integral to that effort was the reinvigoration of PSN, a two-decade-old evidence-based and community-oriented program focused on reducing violent crime. The updated PSN approach, outlined in the department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime issued by Deputy Attorney General Monaco, is guided by four key principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results of our efforts. The fundamental goal is to reduce violent crime, not simply to increase the number of arrests or prosecutions.
This fall, U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country have enhanced their violent crime reduction efforts to ensure alignment with the department’s comprehensive violent crime reduction strategy. U.S. Attorneys’ Offices have engaged in outreach to law enforcement and other agencies and organizations serving communities to identify the most significant drivers of violence in their districts. Working together with a broad coalition of stakeholders, the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices are addressing the most pressing violent crime issues in their district to make our neighborhoods safer for all.
PSN programs are led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in collaboration with local public safety agencies, community stakeholders and other agencies and organizations that work to reduce violent crime.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
