Project Safe Neighborhoods
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is a national initiative by the United States Department of Justice with the help of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to reduce gun violence in the United States. The project is a partnership designed to develop, implement, and evaluate data-driven violence reduction strategies in communities, and improve the long-term prevention of gun violence. Project Safe Neighborhoods was established in 2001 through support from President George W. Bush. The program expands upon strategies used in Boston's Operation Ceasefire, and in Richmond, Virginia's Project Exile. PSN initiatives  typically involve United States Attorneys working with local law enforcement to implement programs such as Gang Crime Investigation and Suppression, Prevention and Education, Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.), and Data Sharing and Gathering. Each local strategy incorporates the three national priorities: Since 2001, over $1.5 billion of federal dollars have been allocated to support Project Safe Neighborhoods. Funds have been used to hire additional prosecutors, and provide assistance to state and local jurisdictions in support of training and community outreach efforts. On May 26, 2021, the United States Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening  PSN so that it is built on newly articulated core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results of our efforts.  The Department expressly underscores that the fundamental goal of this work is to reduce violent crime in the places we call home, not to increase the number of arrests or prosecutions as if they were ends in themselves.