Crime Reduction and Community Safety: Project Safe Neighborhoods 2.0

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – One year ago, the Department of Justice announced the revitalization and enhancement of the Project Safe Neighborhoods Program (PSN), which Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made the centerpiece of the Department’s violent crime reduction strategy.

“As we celebrate the one-year anniversary of the revitalized PSN program, I am proud to reaffirm our commitment to PSN and highlight key efforts that are already paying dividends,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

• In Northern Virginia, we are partnering with law enforcement agencies to address violent gangs like MS-13 and the Bloods, and have furthered our efforts to reduce gun violence by prosecuting straw purchasers and illegal gun traffickers.
• In Norfolk, crime is down to the lowest level in 32 years, and the Norfolk Police Department seized more crime guns than in any previous year, and nearly as many as the total of the previous 10 years combined.
• In Richmond, where federal, state, and local law enforcement have partnered to focus on specific, violence plagued areas, violent crime in 2018 is down 26 percent, homicides are down 64 percent, aggravated assaults using firearms are down 53 percent, and robberies using firearms are down 31 percent.

“Throughout the past year, we have partnered with all levels of law enforcement, local organizations, and members of the community in an effort to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods throughout the Eastern District safer for everyone,” said Terwilliger. “Through these partnerships we have identified the violent crime issues unique to Northern Virginia, greater Richmond, and Tidewater, and strategically designed and implemented strategies to address and dismantle violent street gangs, such as MS-13 and the Bloods. We are also investigating and prosecuting individuals illegally acquiring and providing firearms to criminals, and working with state and local agencies to bring federal resources against criminals who are driving a disproportionate amount of crime in their respective communities.”

 “Project Safe Neighborhoods is a proven program with demonstrated results,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said. “We know that the most effective strategy to reduce violent crime is based on sound policing policies that have proven effective over many years, which includes being targeted and responsive to community needs.  I have empowered our United States Attorneys to focus enforcement efforts against the most violent criminals in their districts, and directed that they work together with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and community partners to develop tailored solutions to the unique violent crime problems they face.  Each United States Attorney has prioritized the PSN program, and I am confident that it will continue to reduce crime, save lives, and restore safety to our communities.”

Enforcement Actions

In the Alexandria Division, the violence is driven largely by organized multi-jurisdictional gangs, most particularly the Bloods (United Bloods Nation), the Crips (Original Crips Homies), and MS-13 (Mara Salvatrucha) as well as more regional gangs and neighborhood crews. Investigations have revealed that these criminal organizations have also impacted the neighboring Western District of Virginia. To address this issue, we are partnering with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia, the Northern Virginia Gang Task Force, and the Virginia State Police Drug and Gang Task Force to address violent gangs. Additionally, the Alexandria Division has targeted efforts to reduce gun violence by prioritizing the prosecution of straw purchasers and illegal gun traffickers. For example, the Alexandria Division recently prosecuted a group of defendants who straw purchased approximately 30 firearms from Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs) in northern Virginia. 

In Newport News, along with our law enforcement partners, we have dismantled the violent 36th Street Bang Squad and are continuing to investigate and prosecute other violent gangs.  We have also initiated Operation Undertow with ATF, a strategy that focuses on a section of Newport News that has been especially plagued by drug-trafficking and firearms violence. Additionally, we are working in partnership with the Newport News Police Department and the Newport News Commonwealth Attorney’s Office to identify appropriate gun and drug cases for federal prosecution.  Over the last year, the Newport News Division has charged approximately 30 Project Safe Neighborhood cases. 

In Norfolk, we are using a strategy to identify and prosecute dangerous individuals in the community using federal racketeering laws. Beginning in 2017, the office, in partnership with ATF and local authorities, used this strategy to launch Operation Riptide, an aggressive program to prosecute dozens of armed felons. Additionally, we have supported the Norfolk Police Department in focusing on community policing of the most violent neighborhoods, and have joined its partners in outreach to local schools, and in developing partnerships with faith-based groups and other non-profit organizations, focusing specifically on community re-entry. In the last year, the Norfolk Division has charged 48 Project Safe Neighborhoods cases. This aggressive program in the Norfolk Division has led to historic reductions in crime. In 2017, the Norfolk Police Department seized more crime guns than in any previous year; indeed, it was nearly more than the total of the previous 10 years combined.  In addition, crime in the area dropped by double-digits, to the lowest rate in the previous 32 years. 

In Richmond, we are working with federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to identify the most dangerous segments of the community and have aggressively prosecuted several homicides and shootings in those areas. In doing so, we have removed numerous dangerous individuals from the streets of those communities. We also meet regularly with federal, state and local law enforcement partners to identify violent trends in greater Richmond and develop strategies to address them, including identifying cases against dangerous individuals appropriate for federal prosecution. In Richmond we have prosecuted over 35 Project Safe Neighborhood cases in the last year.

Improvements to Community Safety

The FBI’s official crime data for 2017 reflects that, after two consecutive, historic increases in violent crime, in the first year of the Trump Administration the nationwide violent crime rate began to decline. The nationwide violent crime rate decreased by approximately one percent in 2017, while the nationwide homicide rate decreased by nearly one and a half percent.

The preliminary information we have for 2018 gives us reason for optimism that our efforts are continuing to pay off. Public data from 60 major cities show that violent crime was down by nearly five percent in those cities in the first six months of 2018 compared to the same period a year ago.

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.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.