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What is Project Safe Neighborhoods?

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is a U.S. Department of Justice National Initiative which targets the problem of gun violence in communities throughout the United States. The U.S. Attorney in each Federal judicial district in concert with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) play a key coordination role in working with local, state law enforcement and public officials as well as civic and community organizations to get the message out to the general public and potential offenders that gun violence in any form will not be tolerated.

What is the Northern District of Indiana Project Safe Neighborhoods?

The Northern District of Indiana’s Project Safe Neighborhood Initiative is a local branch of President Bush's Project Safe Neighborhoods, a nation-wide commitment to reduce gun violence by networking existing local programs that target gun crime and providing those programs with additional tools necessary to be successful. The goal is to take a hard line against gun criminals through every available means in an effort to make our streets and communities safer. Project Safe Neighborhoods seeks to achieve heightened coordination among federal, state, and local law enforcement, with an emphasis on tactical intelligence gathering, more aggressive prosecutions, and enhanced accountability through performance measures. The appointed United States Attorney in each of the 94 federal judicial districts will lead this initiative in their district.

What are the Differences Between Project Safe Neighborhoods and Keeping Our Communities Safe?

The Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative is only part of the U.S. Attorney’s strategy to “Keeping Our Communities Safe.”  “Keeping Our Communities Safe” acts as an umbrella program that encompasses many other programs that are coordinated through the U.S. Attorney’s Office (i.e. Weed and Seed, Drug Demand Reduction, Child Exploitation/Sexual Abuse, G.R.E.A.T., Crime Mapping/Analysis, IBIS and more).

How will Project Safe Neighborhoods be funded?

Project Safe Neighborhoods commits substantial resources ($901 million over three years) and state-of-the-art technology to address gun violence. This funding is being used to hire new federal and state prosecutors, support investigators, provide training, distribute gun lock safety kits, deter juvenile gun crime, and develop and promote community outreach efforts as well as to support other gun violence reduction strategies.

How will each United States Attorney be involved in Project Safe Neighborhoods?

Each local program has been contoured to fit the unique gun crime problem in that district - it is not a “one size fits all” program applied uniformly all across America. Each United States Attorney has convened all law enforcement participants in his or her community, has identified the most pressing crime problems, and is attacking those problems through aggressive prosecution and the use of newly developed gun intelligence-gathering systems.

What is the difference between Project Safe Neighborhoods and programs like Project Exile?

Project Safe Neighborhoods expands on existing programs such as Project Exile (Richmond, VA) and Operation Cease-fire (Boston). Project Exile in Richmond focused gun prosecutions in federal court under federal law. Under Project Safe Neighborhoods, criminals who use guns will be prosecuted under federal, state, or local laws -- depending on where those laws are the toughest. Project Exile in Virginia coordinated resources statewide, while Project Safe Neighborhoods establishes a nation-wide network of programs linked by aggressive cooperation and information sharing.

What makes this initiative different from those tried in the past?

Under Project Safe Neighborhoods, prosecutors are ready to bring cases involving illegal gun use to federal court. That means that if anyone is caught with an illegal gun, they go straight to jail. The overall goal is to educate the public about the consequences of illegal gun use, in an effort to positively impact gun violence statistics.

How can I get involved?

From neighborhood watches to helping with community awareness, Project Safe Neighborhoods offers the public a multitude of options for becoming active in ones community. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, visit the national website.