Programs
The U.S. Attorney's Office promotes community-based crime and drug prevention programs throughout the district. The Office has adopted a number of strategies to combat the threat of gun and drug violence in our communities, including various partnerships with local law enforcement to aggressively enforce federal and state firearms and drug laws through Project Safe Neighborhoods, Project Guardian, and participation in the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Task Force.
In conjunction with Project Safe Neighborhoods, the U.S. Attorney’s Office leads Violent Crime Initiatives in several major cities throughout New Jersey, including Newark, Jersey City, Trenton, and Camden. Pursuant to these initiatives, the U.S. Attorney’s Office partners with numerous agencies, both federal and local, to coordinate intelligence and crime prevention strategy. Leaders from the participating agencies meet regularly to review intelligence regarding the most violent offenders in each respective city, their accomplices, crime trends, and potential investigatory leads. Since their inception, the Violent Crime Initiatives have resulted in the arrests and prosecutions of hundreds of offenders throughout the state.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office further combats gun violence through its participation in Project Guardian, which focuses on close coordination with all law enforcement partners to investigate, prosecute, and prevent gun crimes, including the illegal acquisition or attempted acquisition, possession, use, and trafficking of firearms. Pursuant to Project Guardian, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and partnering law enforcement agencies analyze incidents involving the use and possession of firearms through modern technologies available to law enforcement such as the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, known as NIBIN, to promote gun crime intelligence. Through the monitoring of NIBIN reports and other investigative techniques, the U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecutes hundreds of firearms offenses each year.