OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY
for the WESTERN DISTRICT OF NORTH CAROLINA
CHARLOTTE, N.C.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE ANNOUNCES GRANT AWARD TO THE SOUTH STATESVILLE WEED AND SEED SITE
Washington, D.C. - United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert of the Western District of North Carolina has been advised that Statesville’s “South Statesville Weed and Seed site” managed by the Statesville Housing Authority, has received a second WEED AND SEED grant in as many years. The award of $200,000 from the U.S. Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs, Community Capacity Development Office, (CCDO) was made on July 13,2007.
The Weed and Seed initiative is foremost a strategy which aims to prevent, control, and reduce violent crime, drug abuse, and gang activity in designated high-crime neighborhoods. Weed and Seed sites across the country range in size from several neighborhood blocks to several square miles.
The Weed and Seed strategy involves a two-pronged approach:
• Law enforcement agencies and prosecutors cooperate in “weeding out” criminals who participate in violent crime and drug abuse, attempting to prevent their return to the targeted area; while
• “Seeding” brings human services and economic development to the area, encompassing prevention, intervention, treatment, and neighborhood revitalization. A community-oriented policing component bridges weeding and seeding strategies. Officers obtain helpful information from area residents for weeding efforts, while aiding residents in obtaining information about community revitalization and seeding resources.
A key factor in the success of the Weed and Seed strategy is collaboration with the United States Attorney’s Office. The Weed and Seed strategy is an extension of the U.S. Attorney’s law enforcement coordination role. As the chief law enforcement officer in the Western District of North Carolina, U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert coordinates the efforts of federal, state,and local law enforcement agencies with private sector and community efforts to maximize the impact of existing programs and resources. U.S. Attorney Shappert serves on the Weed and Seed Steering Committee and helps ensure that the Weed and Seed site is a good investment for funding. Additionally, she communicates the United States Justice Department’s message regarding appropriate Weed and Seed strategies; reviews Official Recognition applications, and recommends support of the Weed and Seed site and strategy; approves the hiring of the Weed and Seed site coordinator; and provides public information and statistics to nonprofit organizations in order to educate them on the role of federal law enforcement in further advancing the success of the Weed and Seed effort. The U.S. Attorney in the Western District of North Carolina provides liaison support to the Statesville Housing Authority, the Statesville Police Department, City Government, and to community residents and business owners, by supplying a Justice Department employee who is responsible for and deeply involved in the local Weed and Seed Programs.
Since 1991, the Weed and Seed initiative has demonstrated how crime can be deterred when federal, state, and local government agencies join forces, share resources, set common goals, partner with community groups, and work together strategically to address troubled areas in neighborhoods. The principles of Weed and Seed: pooling resources; developing a comprehensive strategy; creating partnerships among community residents, government, and the private sector; and unifying dedicated people behind a strategic plan–guide Community Capacity Development Office’s efforts as well. The evaluation of potential Weed and Seed sites is very important to the Department’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP). The Community Capacity Development Office accepts applications for new sites by encouraging the mixing and matching of resources. This latest application by the City of Statesville received a similar level of evaluation. Applications demonstrating coordination and leveraging of all available resources are clearly given the most serious consideration.
The South Statesville site first received Official Recognition (OR) in June 2005 with an initial grant award of $175,000. The July 2007 award is the South Statesville site’s first continuation award under this OR period. The funds are provided to implement the strategy outlined in South Statesville’s application. The designated area is a 2.6 square mile neighborhood that includes census tracts 602, 603, and 604. During this project period, the law enforcement component seeks to reduce illegal drug trafficking and develop a multi-jurisdictional task force to reduce crime. The community policing strategy is to improve perception of police by the community and improve communication between the community and police. Prevention, intervention, and treatment efforts will focus on developing a network of Safe Haven locations to organize and deliver an array of youth and adult-oriented human services and to build resiliency and productive citizenship among the youth to prevent involvement in substance abuse and/or delinquent behavior. The neighborhood restoration strategy is to restore economic development opportunities and restore the community by encouraging resident home ownership and rehabilitating dilapidated property.
The South Statesville Weed and Seed site has allocated $100,000 of the total $200,000 award to support weeding activities, including community policing. The South Statesville Weed and Seed site was required to demonstrate its local coordination efforts in its application for Official Recognition, and to include a firm commitment of either time or resources to the project in a specific Memorandum of Understanding. With more than 300 Weed and Seed sites in operation across the country, the program has enjoyed numerous successes. Weed and Seed sites have shown positive outcomes relating to crime control.
Those outcomes include:
• reduction in crime greater than that experienced by the overall jurisdiction in which the Weed and Seed site is located;
• reductions in homicides; and
• statistically significant reductions in crime in the Weed and Seed areas.
Weed and Seed Program Data Collection/Analysis available at http://www.jrsa.org/programs/weedseed.html.
U.S. Attorney Shappert extends her personal thanks to the following individuals for their
hard work, guidance, and support as relates to this award:
South Statesville Weed & Seed Site’s Steering Committee
The residents of South Statesville
The Statesville Housing Authority
Mayor Kosti Kutteh of Statesville
Chief Steve Hampton of the Statesville Police Department
Lieutenant Tom Southers of the Statesville Police Department
Wade Ikard
Frederick Hudson, Weed and Seed Coordinator, U.S. Attorney’s Office
According to Shappert, “This grant represents a recognition of the earlier successful implementation of Weed and Seed in this community. It further represents the recognition by the various decision makers that South Statesville’s intentions for this area of the City are fully
supported locally. The participating agencies and citizen groups are to be commended for their outstanding efforts.”
If you have questions about South Statesville’s Weed and Seed Program or about any of the U.S. Department of Justice or other grant awards, please contact Frederick Hudson, Weed and Seed Coordinator, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina,
telephone number 704.344.6222; or call the Office of Justice Program’s Office of Communications at 202.307.0703.