Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN)
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s signature violence reduction initiative. In May 2021, the Attorney General required all federal districts across the country to develop and implement a PSN strategy. EDVA’s strategy is to address the most pressing violent crime problems with three principles in mind:
- Fostering trust and legitimacy through increased community engagement;
- A heightened focus and attention on prevention and intervention; and
- Strategic enforcement through enhanced multi-agency, multi-jurisdiction, proactive investigations.
Guided by those principles, EDVA’s new PSN strategy sets a number of goals to reduce violent crime:
- Engage, collaborate, and invite community stakeholders to share responsibility in efforts to reduce violent crime;
- Build trust between law enforcement and the community through effective communication, regular interaction, and the support and protection of crime victims;
- Reduce accessibility and possession of handguns among minors;
- Reduce re-offending and break the cycle of re-victimization;
- Disrupt and dismantle the region’s most organized and violent gangs;
- Identify chronic violent offenders responsible for a disproportionate level of violent crime; and
- Work with citizens in neighborhoods most impacted by violent crime on harm reduction strategies.
Cities where PSN has been implemented have seen violent crime rates reduced more so than cities which have not. If you belong to an organization dedicated to reducing violent crime and want to collaborate with EDVA’s PSN initiative, please write us at usavae.psn@usdoj.gov. If you have programming needs that are consistent with EDVA’s PSN principles and goals and would like to apply for grant funding, please visit here for more information.