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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? OJJDP
WEDNESDAY, MAY 2, 2001??????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 202/307-0703
NEW
GRANTS TO BOLSTER COMMUNITY EFFORTS TO COMBAT YOUTH GANGS
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Ten sites, including Los
Angeles, Miami, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C., will receive a total of nearly
$1.5 million through a Justice Department anti-gang initiative.? The sites will use their awards to develop comprehensive
plans to fight youth gang violence.
Local agencies and individuals will work with
law enforcement, schools, citizen groups and young people to collect
information on the scope and nature of youth gang problems in their respective
communities.? The sites will use this
information to formulate a strategy to reduce youth gang activity.
?Youth gangs pose a serious threat to the
safety of our school children and communities,? said Attorney General John
Ashcroft.? ?By bringing together all
segments of the community in this effort, programs can be developed to address
each site?s unique needs.?
The ten sites? planning and assessment
process is the first step toward implementing the? Justice Department?s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Prevention?s (OJJDP?s) Comprehensive Gang Model, which includes five key
elements:
1.
Mobilizing the
Community ? bringing together law enforcement, schools, community
organizations, citizens and youth.
2.
Intervening
with At-Risk Youth ? including in-school and after-school programming,
mentoring, family counseling, drug treatment and outreach to gang-involved
youth.
3.
Providing Opportunities
? offering education, vocational training and job placement services.
4.
Suppressing
Gang Activity ? including targeted police operations.
5.
Improving
Organization Structure ? sharing information, enhancing case management and
establishing multi-disciplinary coordination and training.
?Youth gang problems vary from state to state
and from community to community,? said OJJDP Acting Administrator John J.
Wilson.? ?This initiative will help
communities learn about their own youth gang situation and develop solutions
based on research and lessons learned in other communities.??
The initiative is divided into two
programs.? Six of the sites ? Fort
Lauderdale; Lakewood, Wash.; Los Angeles; Louisville; San Francisco and
Washington, D.C. ? are participating in the basic Gang-Free Communities
Program, while the other four ? East Cleveland; Houston; Miami and Pittsburgh
?? are participating in the
Comprehensive Gang Model: An Enhanced School/Community Approach to Reducing
Youth Gang Crime Program.? While both programs
involve similar assessment and planning, the latter program will focus on
school settings, and may include anti-bullying efforts, truancy reduction and
conflict resolution.
All of the grantees will receive training and
technical assistance from OJJDP?s National Youth Gang Center, operated by the
Institute for Intergovernmental Research of Tallahassee, Florida.? The COSMOS Corporation, in Bethesda,
Maryland, will conduct an independent evaluation of the program.?
OJJDP selected the grantees through a
competitive review process.? The awards
are for a one-year period.? Future
awards will be based on grantee performance and funding availability.
?Attached is a list of grantees.Information about OJJDP publications, programs and conferences, are
available through the OJJDP Website at ojjdp.ncjrs.org
and from OJJDP's
Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse, Box 6000, Rockville, Maryland 20857.
The toll-free number is
1-800/638-8736.
Information about other Office of Justice
Programs (OJP) bureaus and program offices is available at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/? Media should contact OJP?s Office of
Congressional and Public Affairs at 202/307-0703.? ???????????
????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? #
# #
OJJDP 01097?
OFFICE OF JUVENILE JUSTICE AND DELINQUENCY
PREVENTION FY 2000 AWARDS GANG-FREE
COMMUNITIES PROGRAM
???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
State |
City |
Grantee |
Amount |
Contact |
Phone # |
CA |
Los Angeles |
Los Angeles County Sheriff?s Department |
$150,000* |
Captain Tom Angel |
323/981-5002 |
CA |
San Francisco |
City and County of San Francisco |
$150,000* |
Cedric Yap |
415/554-9519 |
DC |
Washington |
DC Metropolitan Police Department |
$150,000* |
Janice Sullivan |
202/727-3337 |
FL |
Fort Lauderdale |
Broward County Sheriff?s Office |
$150,000* |
Nancy Vaniman |
954/321-4712 |
KY |
Louisville |
Jefferson County Fiscal Court |
$150,000* |
Francie Weber |
502/547-6144 |
WA |
Lakewood |
Lakewood Police Department |
$138,500* |
Chief Larry Saunders |
253/798-4246 |
?????????????????????????????????????? COMPREHENSIVE
GANG MODEL: AN ENHANCED SCHOOL/COMMUNITY APPROACH
???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? TO
REDUCING YOUTH GANG CRIME PROGRAM
???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
State |
City |
Grantee |
Amount |
Contact |
Phone # |
FL |
Miami |
The School Board of Miami-Dade County |
$150,000* |
Dr. John Johnson |
305/995-1704 |
OH |
East Cleveland |
Cuyahoga County Board of Commissioners |
$150,000* |
Pamela Clay |
216/443-7832 |
PA |
Pittsburgh |
School District of Pittsburgh |
$150,000* |
Dr. Andrew King |
412/622-3958 |
TX |
Houston |
City of Houston, Mayor?s Anti-Gang Office |
?$150,000 |
Cheryl Murray |
713/247-2212 |
* Award amounts are subject to
final budget review.?????????