District Initiatives
Project Safe Neighborhoods
The project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program in the Eastern District of Michigan incorporates a successful gun case referral system, where local and federal prosecutors screen gun case to determine the most appropriate jurisdiction for prosecution. This joint screening system has resulted in a 99% increase in the number of federal firearms cases prosecuted by the district since PSN's inception in FY 2001. Cases that are prosecuted federally, take serious violent offenders off the street and give them substantially higher sentences than they would have received in State courts.
Our PSN program includes Operation TIDE (Tactical Intelligence Driven Enforcement), the Three Cities Initiative(modeled after TIDE) and the developing Comprehensive Anti-Gang Initiative slated to roll out in late 2008 within high crime areas of the city of Detroit. These initiatives are a collaboration between federal, state, and local law enforcement entities, community resource partners and faith based organizations. The programs rely on intelligence driven information to identify, target, disrupt, arrest and prosecute criminals engaged in gun, gang and drug crimes.
As part of our PSN initiative, the Eastern District of Michigan conducts "Face to Face" meetings. These meetings include agency administrators form the U.S. Attorney (USA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, Michigan Department of Corrections, Michigan State Police and Weed and Seed. The audience includes individuals on probation and/or parole for gun offenses within the District. The program conveys a strong enforcement message about the consequences of possessing/using firearm and a Re-Entry message about jobs, housing opportunities, and other social reentry programs with assistance from the Michigan Prison Re-entry Community Resource Coordinator.
Our Media Partner, The award winning Goodwin Company started working as the public relations consultant for our PSN initiative in 2003. Since that time, the Eastern District of Michigan has an extensive outreach program that uses network and cable TV, radio, billboards, and posters to reinforce the PSN message. The PSN media partner has developed several difference campaigns over the last few years.
The task force has received national recognition for “Best Overall Coordination.” One of the members has received national recognition for “Outstanding Individual Contributions to a Violent Crime Task Force.”
In our outreach endeavors, our PSN program hosted community town hall meetings, assists in developing citizen CB patrol, creating block clubs and assists in facilitating Project Sentry. Our youth component of PSN, Project Sentry is a very successful program. It seeks to educate fifth through eighth grade students about the consequences of gun violence and to provide them with nonviolent tools for resolving conflicts. The program is presented over a period of one to three consecutive days at local schools.
Project Sentry is much more than a series of lectures. It encourages interaction through he use of skits, visuals, and real-life testimonials. The program is being expanded toschools outside the Weed and Seed sites. In addition, all seven Weed and Seed sites have "Chess, The Game of Life", a program that uses chess to teach life skills to students.
For additional information regarding Project Safe Neighborhoods
please send or e-mail correspondence to:
Robert Poikey, Law Enforcement Coordination Specialist
U.S. Attorney’s Office
211 West Fort St., Suite 2001
Detroit, MI 48226
robert.poikey@usdoj.gov
313-226-9100
