U.S. Department
of Justice
Programs
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) / CeaseFire
Project CeaseFire is the District of South Carolina's implementation of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative, which was first unveiled by President Bush and Attorney General Ashcroft in May 2001. PSN is a nationwide commitment to reduce gun crime and make our communities safer.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. 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.
Civil Rights
The United States Attorney's Office for the District of South Carolina (USAO-SC), in coordination with the United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, is responsible for and committed to enforcing the federal civil rights laws in South Carolina, both through civil litigation and criminal prosecution. The USAO-DSC takes a proactive approach to civil rights enforcement and works with members of the public and with community organizations, as well as state, federal, and local government agencies, to identify and remedy civil rights violations.
Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee (LECC)
In the summer of 1981, the Attorney General's Task Force on Violent Crime recommended that each United States Attorney establish a Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee (LECC). The bi-partisan Task Force included eight distinguished national criminal justice experts who closely examined federal, state, and local law enforcement needs. The recommendation to establish LECCs came as a direct result of the group's finding that local law enforcement cooperation was crucial, but that cooperation nationwide was uneven.
Victim Witness (VW)
As set forth in the Victim and Witness Protection Act of 1982, the Crime Control Act of 1990, the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, and the pursuant Attorney General Guidelines, the federal government must ensure that innocent victims of crime have their rights upheld, have their dignity and privacy respected, and are treated with fairness. During a prosecution, the U.S. Attorney's Office in the district where the prosecution is pending is responsible for performing the services due victims.
Task Forces
Upon the advice of the heads of all Federal criminal justice agencies, the Attorney General recommended to the President that a multi-agency task force, using full resources of Federal, State, and local governments, be authorized to deal with the problem of drug trafficking in the United States. On October 14, 1982, the President announced a program to attack drug trafficking and organized crime. In December of 1982, concurring with the President, Congress authorized the funds for the OCDETF program.