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Today, officials from the Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance, the United States Attorney's Office, Northern District of Ohio, and the Cleveland Division of Police convened at the United States Attorney Offices in Cleveland to initiate the National Public Safety Partnership (PSP) program with the Cleveland Police Department. 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 Cleveland Police Department as one of ten 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, including $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.
“Today our team is on-site in Cleveland to collaborate with local law enforcement officials in their mission to improve public safety and drive down violent crime,” said Jon Adler, Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance. "Through the Public Safety Partnership, we are committed to fulfilling the Attorney General's priority of supporting local law enforcement combat violent gangs, felonious firearms use and drug trafficking," added Adler.
“We are excited to bring the PSP team’s expertise to Cleveland to add to the outstanding collaboration already underway addressing violent crime,” said U.S. Attorney Justin E. Herdman. "We know targeted, vigorous enforcement actions combined with meaningful crime prevention and reentry efforts have a demonstrated track record of reducing homicides, shooting and other violence.”
Cleveland Police Chief Calvin D. Williams said: “The Cleveland Division of Police welcomes the assistance of the PSP team in our efforts to reduce violent crime in our community. Our commitment to the safety of our residents is our primary focus and this program will increase our ability to provide the highest level of service.”
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 included the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Ohio; the Office of Justice Programs; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Marshals Service; the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; the Cleveland Police Department; the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office; the Ohio Adult Parole Authority and Mayor Frank Jackson’s Office.
For more information about PSP, visit https://www.nationalpublicsafetypartnership.org.
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U.S. Department
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