September | October 2017

Justice Department Convenes National Public Safety Partnership Summit

National Public Safety Partnership logoThe U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) held the first National Public Safety Partnership (PSP) Summit on September 11–13, 2017, in New Orleans, LA. Established in June, PSP is a DOJ-wide program that enables cities to consult with and receive coordinated training and technical assistance and an array of resources to enhance local violence-reduction strategies.

At the summit, DOJ officials, executive leaders and key stakeholders from PSP sites, and violence-reduction experts discussed evidence-based programs and practices to increase public safety, reduce violence, and enhance partnerships in the participating communities. Acting Assistant Attorney General Alan R. Hanson welcomed the participants and highlighted the Department of Justice’s focus, through the Public Safety Partnership, to help communities expand their capacity to fight serious violent crime. “PSP relies on data and evidence and taps federal and local expertise to design crime-fighting strategies,” he said. “Its objective is to marshal resources from participating agencies, to share knowledge, and to make sure communities have what they need to meet the pressing challenges they face.”

Presentation topics included law enforcement partnerships at the federal level, transforming the policing culture to foster public safety, increasing public trust, advancing technology in crime-fighting efforts, leveraging local partnerships, establishing PSP peer networks for information sharing, and police foundations as law enforcement partners.

The summit brought together more than 350 civic leaders, law enforcement executives, criminal justice professionals, researchers, and advocates to focus on crime reduction in our nation’s cities. The summit provided an opportunity for PSP sites across the country to network and share with the four new sites—Birmingham, Indianapolis, Memphis, and Toledo—lessons learned in investigating and prosecuting violent criminals, especially those involved in gun crime, drug trafficking, and gang violence. Associate Attorney General Rachel Brand addressed the audience and reinforced the Department’s commitment to work with state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to root out violence in their communities.

PSP was established under the direction of Attorney General Jeff Sessions in response to President Trump’s Executive Order on a Task Force on Crime Reduction and Public Safety, which emphasizes DOJ’s role in combating violent crime. The task force is composed of leaders from across DOJ, including the heads of the FBI; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Drug Enforcement Administration; and U.S. Marshals Service. PSP currently provides 27 cities of different sizes and diverse needs with data-driven, evidence-based strategies for reducing violent crime.

OJJDP Senior Policy Advisor Cynthia Pappas joined other officials from DOJ program offices—the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, the Office for Victims of Crime, and the Office on Violence Against Women—to provide an overview of how DOJ programs, publications, and training and technical assistance can support PSP sites as they engage in violence-reduction efforts.

Ms. Pappas discussed the specific opportunities and resources available through OJJDP to help these communities build their capacity to effectively address youth violence, including an award to the International Association of Chiefs of Police, in partnership with the Yale Childhood Violent Trauma Center, to increase the understanding of children exposed to violence among law enforcement leaders and officers. Ms. Pappas also highlighted the work of the BJA- and OJJDP-sponsored National Gang Center and resources available through OJJDP's one-stop technical assistance site, TTA360.

 

Resource:

More information about PSP is available on its website.