WHAT IS PROJECT SAFE NEIGHBORHOODS?

Project Safe Neighborhoods is a comprehensive national strategy initiated by President George Bush to establish law enforcement and community initiatives to reduce gun violence in America. Various crime reduction initiatives in the past decade have shown that to have a truly significant impact, law enforcement must do more than just increase its arrest and prosecution numbers. Efforts must be comprehensive. We must obtain and analyze crime and other data to guide our strategies and measure the impact of our efforts. We must convey the priorities, message, and results of our efforts to the media and community members. And we must build a powerful and lasting coalition with our citizens one that empowers them to be agents of change in their own communities.

 
WHAT IS OPERATION CEASEFIRE?

It is the local version of Project Safe Neighborhoods  an all-out assault on gun violence in Tulsa County and the Northern District of Oklahoma. Police, prosecutors and community partners work together to get guns out of the hands of the criminals without infringing upon the rights of law-abiding citizens. WHO IS INVOLVED? Local law enforcement partners include U.S. Attorney David O’Meilia, Tulsa County District Attorney Tim Harris, ATF agents, Tulsa County Sheriff Stanley Glanz, and Tulsa Police Chief Dave Been. Community partners include churches, schools, social workers, businesses, community organizations, and concerned citizens.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

At the heart, it’s about safer neighborhoods. Just as importantly, it’s about our children and their future.

WHERE DOES THE COMMUNITY FIT IN?

We’re not looking just for increased prosecution. We truly want to see safer neighborhoods. We need people who live in the community to help us identify the most chronic offenders. We need them to help deliver the message that the gun violence must stop. We must work with people in the community to identify and intervene with at-risk youth to prevent them from becoming the next generation of violent offenders.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Police and prosecutors focus attention on chronic violent offenders - the 5% who commit 70% of violent crimes. A strict set of prosecution guidelines ensures consistently aggressive prosecution. Prosecutors screen every firearm offense in Tulsa County to determine whether to send it to state or federal court.

 

 

THE MESSAGE:

“In Time for Gun Crime.” We will spread the word that punishment for gun crimes is swift and certain. The message will resonate throughout Tulsa County in a public awareness campaign that includes a deterrent message to criminals, supported by prevention and intervention messages to at-risk youth.

THE GOALS

• Reduce crimes committed with guns.
• Reduce the number of illegal guns in circulation and illegally possessed.
• Save lives.

INTERVENTION

Law enforcement and community members work together to identify youth and people “on the fringe” of criminal incidents who are candidates for intervention. Strategies such as "Knock and Talks” are put into practice where police, clergy, social workers & community leaders go to homes and contact youth and families in an attempt to stop the behavior.

OFFENDER NOTIFICATION

The strategy is to talk directly to the small per cent of offenders who commit the majority of violence. Criteria is used to identify 25-30 chronic offenders and probation officers order the offenders to a meeting. At the meeting, police & prosecutors talk straight about consequences of continuing the gun violence, telling them: “Based on what you are doing and who you are hanging out with, we know you are either going to be in prison or dead. We’re watching you.” Community members speak to the offenders next, telling them: “We’re tired of the violence. We’re tired of going to funerals.”

View Project Safe Neighborhoods TV Public Service Announcements

Developed by the U.S. Department of Justice, the National Crime Prevention Council, and the Ad Council, the television public service announcements seek to engage communities and families by portraying the consequences of gun crime to illegal gun users and its effects on their families.
View a list of televised PSAs

National PSN Print PSAs
Developed by various agencies and organizations, these print public service announcements stress the goals of PSN—that illegal use or possession of firearms means jail time—and related organizations.
View a list of print PSAs