HOUSTON - Federal and local officials convened in Houston today to initiate the National Public Safety Partnership (PSP) program, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick along with Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance Jon Adler and Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.
This Justice Department program is a three-year engagement that seeks to leverage department assets in support of a local jurisdictions' commitment to drive down violent crime.
On June 3, 2019, Attorney General William Barr announced the selection of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) as one of 10 fiscal year (FY) 2019 PSP sites where the Justice Department will work collaboratively to provide training and technical assistance in areas such as crime analytics, emerging technology and community engagement.
Since 2017, the Justice Department has directed nearly $14.9 million in customized training and technical assistance to help build crime fighting capacity in PSP sites. This includes $6.6 million to support the FY 2019 sites through FY 2022. PSP seeks to bring law enforcement stakeholders together to work collaboratively in reducing violent crime attributed to felonious firearm use, drug trafficking and human trafficking.
“Adding unincorporated Harris County to the PSP program, which already includes the Houston Police Department (HPD), compliments the technical assistance and formal collaboration in the greater metro area," said Patrick. “My office is committed to working with local law enforcement in reducing violent crime. HCSO is already a great law enforcement partner, and this new effort will make those ties stronger."
“Today our team is on-site in Houston to collaborate with local law enforcement officials in their mission to improve public safety and drive down violent crime," said Adler. “Through the PSP, we are committed to fulfilling the Attorney General's priority of supporting local law enforcement combat violent gangs, felonious firearms use and drug trafficking."
“Combating violent crime requires strategic coordination among all the law enforcement agencies serving our community," said Gonzalez. “The Justice Department’s National PSP gives front-line deputies the technical training and expertise they need to keep our neighborhoods safe."
Since 2017, the Justice Department has worked with more than 30 local jurisdictions under the nationwide PSP program. Many participating cities have already seen dramatic reductions in violent crime. New Orleans ended 2018 with 146 murders, the lowest number of murders since the early 1970s. In Milwaukee, homicides declined in 2018 for a third straight year after hitting a deadly peak in 2015.
Agencies in attendance at this meeting will include the U.S. Attorney’s Office; Office of Justice Programs; HCSO; FBI; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Drug Enforcement Administration; Harris County District Attorney’s Office; HPD; Institute for Intergovernmental Research; and CNA.
For more information, visit PSP.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
