U.S. Attorney Lydon announces Project Safe Neighborhoods Grants

United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon announces that the District of South Carolina has been awarded $547,945 in Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) grants to combat violent crime. The South Carolina Department of Public Safety Office of Highway Safety and Justice Programs will serve as the fiscal agent for the funds, which will be awarded to sub-grantees in a competitive grant process to be announced shortly. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made PSN the centerpiece of the Department’s violent crime reduction strategy. 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. South Carolina’s implementation of PSN is called Project CeaseFire. PSN has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority. “Project Safe Neighborhoods is a proven program with demonstrated results,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said. “We know that the most effective strategy to reduce violent crime is based on sound policing policies that have proven effective over many years, which includes being targeted and responsive to community needs.” Through the enhanced PSN, the Department of Justice is targeting the most violent criminals in the most violent areas, utilizing policing tools that did not exist even a few years ago. Tools like crime gun intelligence centers (CGIC), which combine intelligence from gunshot detection systems, ballistics, gun tracing, and good old-fashioned police work, help to develop real-time leads on the “traffickers and trigger pullers” who are fueling the violence in their communities. By using modern technologies and cutting-edge police work, the Department of Justice is deploying resources strategically to provide the greatest return on our community-based anti-violence efforts. The grants announced today build on Attorney General Sessions’ commitment to reducing violent crime in America, as directed by President Trump’s February 2017 Executive Order. The Department has distributed additional resources and built up strong partnerships with local law enforcement in communities plagued by violent crime. Since the announcement of the reinvigoration of the PSN program in October 2017, the Department of Justice has increased the number of federal prosecutors focused on violent crime by over 300, directed its resources to improving cooperation between federal and local law enforcement agencies, restored local control of police agencies by reining in excessive use of consent decrees, reformed civil asset forfeiture and restored asset-sharing with state and local law enforcement, and helped fund over 800 hundred officers in police departments across America. United States Attorney Lydon announced that South Carolina recently received funding for three new violent crime federal prosecutors, as well as additional support staff. These positions will be added to the violent crime unit, which will continue to work alongside our federal, state, and local partners to address violent crime in our communities.