MRPD Chief Linwood Alston announced that the City of Mount Rainier Police Department was recently awarded the Project Safe Neighborhoods Maryland (PSNM) 2023 grant for $302,511.00.
The City of Mount Rainier Police Department City-Wide Safety Surveillance Cameras program will use strategically placed cameras to monitor criminal and gang activity. These systems with 13 camera locations will significantly impact street crime, provide a safe setting for the residents and new businesses, and enable the revitalization of US RT 1, 34th Street, and Varnum Street. Funding from the Project Safe Neighborhoods Maryland grant will also allow for more community engagement initiatives, and targeted law enforcement overtime initiatives.
Additionally, MRPD will also host community engagement events to strengthen the trust and legitimacy of officers, ensuring citizens are more comfortable than ever reporting crimes and working with police to address neighborhood safety issues. Grant funds will support overtime and fringes for officers that participate in community events and crime-fighting initiatives.
Overview
Description
Project Safe Neighborhoods Grants develop, implement, and support anti-gang prevention and violent crime enforcement strategies in Maryland through dedicated partnerships forming a PSN task force. Funds are intended to help create and foster safer neighborhoods through a sustained reduction in violent crime, including, but not limited to, addressing criminal gangs and the felonious possession and use of firearms.
History
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) was launched by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2002 to reduce gun violence. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is designed to create and foster safer neighborhoods through a sustained reduction in violent crime. The program's effectiveness depends upon the ongoing coordination, cooperation, and partnerships of local, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement agencies working together with the communities they serve—engaged in a unified approach led by the U.S. Attorney (USA) in all 94 districts. Acting decisively in a coordinated manner at all levels—federal, state, local, and tribal—will help sustain recently achieved reductions in crime and keep our communities safe. PSN provides the critical funding, resources, and training for PSN teams—including law enforcement, prosecutors, community groups, researchers, and others—to combat violent crime and make their communities safer through a comprehensive approach to public safety that marries targeted law enforcement efforts with community engagement, prevention, and reentry efforts.