NCJ Number
230374
Date Published
2010
Length
12 pages
Annotation
Based on evaluation findings concerning the 93 Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) task forces, which have focused on countering violent crime in communities, this chapter draws lessons on the components of successful implementation, the role of research and integration of research, and PSN strategy development.
Abstract
The study found that the effective implementation and performance of a PSN was linked to the leadership of the U.S. Attorney and the U.S. Attorney's Office. Also, the promising programs upon which PSN was based all included a focused deterrence logic model whereby enforcement resources targeted people, places, and contexts believed to be producing high rates of gun crime and violence. PSN also represented a Federal commitment of resources in support of law enforcement-researcher partnerships as a key ingredient in the PSN task forces. The evaluation found that a variety of strategies were used by PSN task forces. The most common were increased Federal prosecution; joint Federal-local prosecution case screening; directed police patrol; chronic violent offender programs; street-level firearms enforcement teams; offender notification meetings; reentry programs; and firearms supply-side interventions. The most inclusive and coordinated approach to reducing gun violence involved collaboration. Collaboration typically involved the sharing of personnel and other resources that improved communications and the coordination of operations, as well as decisionmaking across traditional agency boundaries. This chapter describes the following categories of PSN interventions that were particularly effective in reducing levels of violent gun crime: directed police patrol, Project Exile-style strategies, and strategic problem-solving "pulling levers" strategies. 1 figure, 1 table, and 4 notes