Department of Justice Recognizes Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald DeWald for Outstanding Work on Project Safe Neighborhood

CHICAGO — The Department of Justice has recognized Ronald DeWald, an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, for his outstanding work in support of the Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN) initiative. 

PSN is a nationwide initiative that brings together law enforcement, prosecutors, and community leaders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  Through the annual PSN Achievement Awards, the Department of Justice recognizes outstanding individual efforts in achieving safety and security in the United States.  The Department in 2020 bestowed on Mr. DeWald an award for “Outstanding Individual Contribution to the PSN Program,” in recognition of his work designing and overseeing violent crime reduction strategies in Chicago and throughout northern Illinois.

“Ron DeWald has served the citizens of the Northern District of Illinois and the United States with tremendous distinction,” said John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.  “Violent crime can only be addressed with a multi-disciplinary effort involving federal, state, and local law enforcement, community members, and other stakeholders.  Ron’s dedication has fostered these important relationships, and for that we owe him a debt of gratitude.”

Mr. DeWald has been an AUSA in Chicago for more than 15 years.  In his current position as Counsel to the U.S. Attorney for Violent Crime, Mr. DeWald was instrumental in establishing and leading the office’s various violent crime efforts, including its Gun Crimes Prosecution Team, an initiative that has led to a substantial increase in the effectiveness of federal firearm prosecutions since its inception in 2018. 

Mr. DeWald has taught courses at the Chicago Police Academy on federal firearm prosecutions, and he leads the Northern District’s PSN Forums, where state parolees are warned of the consequences of recidivism and presented with offers of social services.  Research has found that ex-offenders who attend a notification meeting in Chicago are 30% less likely to commit a new offense than those who did not attend a meeting.