Fiscal Note
This grant will be accounted for in a segregated fund (SG50). There is no effect on the Expenditure Restraint Program or the levy.
Title
Authorizing the Mayor, City Clerk and Chief of Police to accept a Project Safe Neighborhoods award from the State of Wisconsin, Office of Justice Assistance in the amount of $56,726 and to utilize these funds toward anti-gang prevention and enforcement efforts.
Body
WHEREAS, the U.S. Dept. of Justice has developed a nationwide Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative to reduce the incidents of gun violence, by linking together federal, state, and local law enforcement, prosecutors, and community leaders, to provide a multifaceted approach to deterring and punishing gun crime; and,
WHEREAS, the PSN initiative has been expanded to include anti-gang prevention and enforcement efforts; and,
WHEREAS, this ongoing effort will allow local law enforcement to combat gangs by building on the effective strategies and partnerships developed under PSN; and,
WHEREAS, the Dane County Youth Gang Prevention Task Force Community Response Plan has outlined information regarding how Dane County has moved into the ranks of communities with full fledged generational gangs that have an active entrepreneurial drug trade resulting in a number of violent gang-related acts such as shootings, graffiti and rival group conflicts; and,
WHEREAS, although this is a long-term problem that must be dealt with using a variety of methods, the Madison Police Department has pledged to proactively respond to emerging illegal gang related activity through education, information sharing, and enforcement; and,
WHEREAS, in the past three years the Madison Police Department was awarded PSN grants totaling $255,000; and,
WHEREAS, the Madison Police Department has been awarded a 2007 PSN grant of $56,726 for the purposes of continuing efforts to reduce gang-related violence; and,
WHEREAS, the PSN grant will allow police to accomplish these tasks uti...
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