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Project Safe Neighborhoods

Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and community leaders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. Learn more about PSN at https://www.justice.gov/psn.

“Project Safe Neighborhoods is a proven evidence based violence reduction strategy that focuses law enforcement, community and service providers on individuals who are most likely to commit gun crimes.”

– Chief W. H. ‘Skip’ Holbrook

The foundations of the Department of Justice, PSN strategy are:

 – Community Based – Each local program is contoured to fit the specific violent crime problem in that district
– Targeted –
Utilizes law enforcement and community intelligence, along with cutting edge technology, to identify and target the most violent offenders for enforcement action.
– Comprehensive –
Directs U.S. Attorneys to marry enforcement efforts with support of prevention and re-entry strategies to truly combat violent crime in a lasting way

City of Columbia Police Department: PSN Strategy

– City of Columbia/Richland County South Carolina is a designated PSN targeted enforcement area (TEA)
– PSN efforts led by the United States Attorney’s Office, in partnership with CPD, RCSD, SLED, PPP, FBI, DEA and ATF
– Targeted enforcement efforts include:

PREVENTION & EDUCATION

Public Service Announcements
Student Pledge Against Gun Violence – nonviolent
Home visits – youthful offenders
Gun Lock Program
Community meetings
Handle with Care – children exposed to crime
Serve and Connect

TECHNOLOGY

NIBIN – Ballistic information system
ShotSpotter – Gunshot detection
City of Columbia Cameras Network
BWC – Body Worn Cameras
LPR’s – License Plate Readers

EVIDENCE BASED BEST PRACTICES

Ceasefire Columbia Offender call-ins
Operation Real Time – ATF point of arrest
Accelerated Federal case adoption program
Ceasefire Coordinator
Home visits – juveniles and youthful offenders
Crime Gun Intel Unit – Established Gun Crime Unit
Intelligence led policing

PARTNERSHIPS

United States Attorney, District of SC
5th Circuit Solicitor
DEA Task Force
ATF Task Force
FBI Violent Crime Task Force
Midlands Gang Task Force (MGTF)
Gun Task Force – Gun seizure collaboration with RCSD

BUILDING TRUST

Front Porch Roll Call
Columbia Council of Neighborhoods
R.I.SK.
Citizen Advisory Council
Ice Cream Truck
Citizen’s Police Academy
Community Meetings

CRIME REDUCTION STRATEGIES

Project CeaseFire is administered by the Office of United States Attorney, District of South Carolina as part of the national effort for PSN. In 2015, the Columbia Police adopted the project and now refers to it as Ceasefire Columbia.

The goal of Ceasefire Columbia is to deter gun crime, develop and promote community outreach efforts, provide training for participants and support other gun violence reduction strategies. The way to accomplish this goal is to continue building relationships and trust between prior offenders, community stakeholders, service providers and our citizens.

Operation Real Time is a federal case priority adoption program that immediately removes a violent offender from the community at the point of arrest in real time. CPD has a pre-screened priority offender list for all of the officers to reference it in the field.

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