Justice Department Announces Five New National Public Safety Partnership Sites to Help Build Safer Communities
Marks 10th Anniversary of the National Public Safety Partnership
WASHINGTON, DC—Today, the Justice Department announced the addition of five new sites to the National Public Safety Partnership, a Department-wide initiative designed to improve safety and reduce violence in areas experiencing elevated crime rates. Administered by the Office of Justice Programs’ Bureau of Justice Assistance, PSP provides sites with coordinated training, technical assistance and a wide range of targeted violence reduction resources from the Department’s programmatic and law enforcement components.
The five new sites are DeKalb County, Georgia; Pueblo, Colorado; Seattle, Washington; Springfield, Massachusetts; and Tampa, Florida. Through the PSP program, DOJ collaborates with jurisdictions of different sizes and diverse needs to support customized and data-driven strategies tailored to address each site’s most pressing public safety challenges. The program focuses on eight core areas: community engagement, constitutional policing, crime analysis, criminal justice collaboration, federal partnerships, gun violence, investigations and technology.
This year, the Department is marking the 10th Anniversary of the National Public Safety Partnership, a milestone in the program’s ongoing commitment to support local law enforcement agencies, community organizations and other partners in addressing public safety challenges. BJA will host the National Public Safety Partnership 10th Anniversary Summit on December 9-11, 2024, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where current PSP sites and alumni will convene to explore new trends and issues facing their communities and discuss best practices and innovative solutions to enhance public safety and drive down violent crime.
“The addition of these five new sites marks an important step forward in our mission to help reduce violence and improve public safety in all communities,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brent J. Cohen of the Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs. “By working together with local law enforcement and community leaders, we can help build safer and more resilient neighborhoods where families can thrive and individuals can reach their full potential. The 10th Anniversary PSP summit is a testament to the progress we have made and the commitment we continue to make to our local communities.”
“These new sites will help meet two monumental public safety challenges—the alarming excess of gun violence in our country and the clear need for front-end interventions to slow the cycle of violence and victimization in our most disadvantaged communities,” said BJA Director Karhlton F. Moore. “The Bureau of Justice Assistance is proud to make these resources available as a critical part of its mission to reduce and prevent crime and to promote a fair and effective criminal justice system.”
A total of 67 cities have participated in PSP to date. The primary participating DOJ components include the Office of Justice Programs; the Office on Violence Against Women; the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the U.S. Marshals Service.
“From starting with five jurisdictions to now working with 67 jurisdictions in 10 years, PSP has provided the Department with a new approach to work with local jurisdictions. By coordinating across multiple DOJ components and using our collective resources to partner with local law enforcement agencies and other criminal justice and community stakeholders, we are able to reduce crime,” said Kerry Yerico, BJA senior policy advisor and director of the PSP Program. “We look forward to partnering with the five new PSP sites to achieve what we are all working toward—safe places to live and work.”
“We look forward to welcoming the Public Safety Partnership community to Minneapolis. This is a great opportunity to highlight the programs and strategies that we know make a difference in preventing violent crime,” commented U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota, Andrew M. Luger. “Since I was appointed in March 2022, we have focused every resource available to combat the spike in violent crime in the Twin Cities, and around the country. Effectively addressing violent crime requires partnerships at every level – with federal, state and local law enforcement – backed up by investments in the communities we serve.”
The PSP Program began as a pilot in 2014 and was formally adopted by the Justice Department as an intensive training and technical assistance protocol in 2017. To be considered for selection, a site must apply and have sustained levels of violence that far exceed the national average and demonstrate a commitment to reducing crime and enhancing community engagement.
For more information about the National Public Safety Partnership and its impact on communities, visit nationalpublicsafetypartnership.org.
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About the Office of Justice Programs
The Office of Justice Programs provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime; advance equity and fairness in the administration of justice; assist victims; and uphold the rule of law. More information about OJP and its program offices – the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Institute of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office for Victims of Crime and Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering and Tracking – can be found at ojp.gov.
CONTACT: OJP Media at ojpmedia@usdoj.gov