West Palm Beach Police Department in Southern District of Florida to Receive Project Safe Neighborhoods Award

On December 6, 2018, during the 2018 Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) National Conference in Kansas City, Missouri, Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker announced that sixteen Project Safe Neighborhoods Awards will be distributed nationally.  The West Palm Beach Police Department in the Southern District of Florida will be a recipient of one of the Project Safe Neighborhoods Awards.  These awards recognize individuals and groups for their dedication and contribution to the success of PSN.   

One year ago, the Department of Justice announced the revitalization and enhancement of PSN, the centerpiece of the Department’s violent crime reduction strategy. 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.

"Project Safe Neighborhoods is making our prosecutions more targeted and more effective—and that makes the American people safer," said Acting Attorney General Whitaker. "Today the Department recognizes 16 examples of those who go above and beyond the call of duty in using PSN to reduce violent crime. We had a lot of impressive nominees, but even with tough competition, these 16 stood out. I want to thank each one of them for their service and congratulate them on a job well done."

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office applauds the tremendous community engagement initiatives and law enforcement partnerships that the West Palm Beach Police Department has cultivated to serve and protect our local residents,” stated U.S. Attorney Ariana Fajardo Orshan for the Southern District of Florida.  “The West Palm Beach Police Department’s commitment to the success of Project Safe Neighborhoods is to be commended.”

A Project Safe Neighborhoods Award, for Outstanding Local Police/Sheriff Department Involvement, will be bestowed upon the West Palm Beach Police Department in the Southern District of Florida.  The West Palm Beach Police Department’s commitment to the core principles of the reinvigorated PSN has had, and continues to have, a dramatic effect in the Southern District of Florida. West Palm Beach officers serve full-time as task force officers with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to combat violent crime. In 2018, the West Palm Beach Police Department created a “Real Time Crime Center” that uses intelligence from a number of sources to generate current and actionable law enforcement leads. In addition to enforcement activity, the West Palm Beach Police Department has also made a commitment to community engagement and successfully built bridges between law enforcement and the communities they serve. The West Palm Beach Police Department’s community engagement initiatives are extensive, and include not only national programs, but also local programs like “R.I.P.” program that interacts weekly with juvenile offenders arrested for gun and violent crimes, and “Cops and Scholars,” which champions kids in vulnerable communities. West Palm Beach Police Department also serves as a partner to many outside organizations and programs. All of these efforts are contributing to the success of PSN in local West Palm Beach communities.