U.S. Attorney Broadcasts Call-To-Action, Asking Citizens To Report Criminal Activity To 1-800-CALL-FBI

MACON— A new call to action in the fight to decrease violent crime in Middle and South Georgia was issued today with the release of a new Public Service Announcement (PSA) by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia. In the PSA, U.S. Attorney Charles “Charlie” Peeler, discusses the impact of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime by bringing law enforcement and community stakeholders together to tackle the problem. Mr. Peeler asks citizens to report criminal activity in their neighborhoods by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI. In recent years, violent crime rates have remained at or above the national average in some cities in the Middle District of Georgia. Violent crime statistics dropped in Albany and Columbus in 2018, indicating a measure of progress.

“This call to action is a critical next step in the fight to decrease violent crime in our communities,” said Charles “Charlie” Peeler, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia. “Law enforcement agencies often rely on tips from courageous citizens who are willing to step up and report dangerous activity. We deserve to raise our families in safe neighborhoods and live our lives without fear of harm. I promise that the United States Attorney’s Office, working with our dedicated law enforcement partners, will relentlessly pursue the most dangerous criminals menacing our society and put them behind bars.”

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. The new PSA can be viewed and shared on the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia’s Facebook Page @usaomdga.

Questions can be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603 or Melissa Hodges, Public Affairs Director (Contractor), United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 765-2362.