INDIANAPOLIS -- The Department of Justice will provide enhanced resources to help crimefighting efforts in Indianapolis as part of a new federal initiative targeting 12 U.S. cities.
The program, being called the National Public Safety Partnership, is a continuation of an Obama-era pilot program known as the Violence Reduction Network.
The 12 cities selected for the program include Indianapolis, Houston, Cincinnati, Baton Rouge and Buffalo, New York.
“Turning back the recent troubling increase in violent crime in our country is a top priority of the Department of Justice and the Trump Administration, as we work to fulfill the President’s promise to make America safe again,” said Attorney General Sessions. “The Department of Justice will work with American cities suffering from serious violent crime problems. There is no doubt that there are many strategies that are proven to reduce crime. Our new National Public Safety Partnership program will help these communities build up their own capacity to fight crime, by making use of data-driven, evidence-based strategies tailored to specific local concerns, and by drawing upon the expertise and resources of our department.”
Indianapolis’ inclusion in the program comes as the city has seen a persistent increase in criminal homicides over the past five years. In 2015, the city saw its then-deadliest year ever with 144 murders. It broke that record the very next year when 2016 saw 149 criminal homicides.
A web portal for the National Public Safety Partnership doesn’t provide specific details about what resources will be offered to cities, but does say they will receive “expedited delivery of assistance” in seven core areas:
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Federal partnerships
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Crime analysis
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Technology
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Gun violence
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Criminal justice
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Collaboration
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Community engagement
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Investigations
The announcement made no mention of whether additional federal dollars or priority for crimefighting grants are part of the program.
For more information about the National Public Safety Partnership, click here.
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