Georgia Project Safe Neighborhoods Violence Reduction Microgrant Program Announced

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia has announced additional commitments to the Department of Justice’s Comprehensive Strategy aimed at disrupting violent crime. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), initiated by U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in May 2021, has been fortified by four new strategies: Community Engagement, Prevention and Intervention, Focused and Strategic Enforcement, and Accountability.

Under the PSN FY20-22 initiative, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is pleased to disclose that $227,676 in funding from the Department’s Bureau of Justice Assistance has been allocated for state and local law enforcement violence-reduction projects.

U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan emphasized the importance of ongoing collaborations between law enforcement agencies and community stakeholders in achieving safe and thriving communities. He highlighted the role of microgrants under Project Safe Neighborhoods, stating that they play a crucial role by providing funding to local initiatives aimed at preventing crime and violence.

Microgrants empower law enforcement agencies to implement strategies such as youth programs, community engagement activities, and intervention efforts to address the root causes of crime. Buchanan stressed that by supporting these localized initiatives, microgrants can contribute to building stronger, safer neighborhoods by fostering partnerships between law enforcement and communities to strengthen violent-crime prevention efforts.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia has earmarked PSN microgrant funds to local law enforcement agencies for the purpose of combating violent crime and maintaining public safety. Recipients include the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office; the Police Departments of Atlanta, Brookhaven, Calhoun, Clayton County, DeKalb County, East Point, Ellijay, Floyd County, Griffin, Kennesaw, Kennesaw State University, Norcross, Rome, Roswell, Smyrna, and Villa Rica; and the Sheriff’s Offices of Carroll and Douglas Counties.

These microgrant funds are intended to comprehensively augment ongoing public safety efforts, fostering trust and increasing legitimacy in communities, implementing and enhancing community engagement and policing strategies, strengthening knowledge about effective practices and outcomes, supporting new, creative approaches to prevent crime, addressing violent gun crime and gang violence, and bolstering improved policing strategies throughout the district.