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The Project Safe Neighborhoods program in Oregon is overseen by a Task Force comprised of leaders in local law enforcement, judicial services, government and community outreach, whose goal is to reduce gun crime through active collaboration between agencies and communities.
It is part of the national Project Safe Neighborhoods program led by the U.S. Department of Justice.
While overall reduction of gun crime is the goal of Project Safe Neighborhoods, in Oregon the program specifically seeks to target:
- Gang-related gun crime;
- Crimes of domestic violence in which guns are involved; and
- Armed Career Criminals: those who have three violent felony convictions, such as sex abuse, arson, assault, robbery or murder. In 2002, approximately 6800 individuals in Oregon were identified as Armed Career Criminals.
Strict enforcement of firearms laws and rigorous prosecution of offenders is supported by outreach and prevention programs. Through local community outreach and prevention initiatives and a comprehensive public service campaign, Project Safe Neighborhoods is spreading the message that illegal gun possession and gun crime will not be tolerated in Oregon.
Coordinated Investigations
Through Project Safe Neighborhoods, law enforcement agencies at the federal, state and local level are coordinating investigations with each other and sharing information about criminals who use guns.
Multi-jurisdictional investigations and specialized investigative units share intelligence about suspected violators. Specialized resources, such as the ATF National Tracing Center, are being utilized to help trace weapons to crimes.
Aggressive Prosecutions
Both federal and state laws allow for additional prison penalties when guns are used in a crime. Under Project Safe Neighborhoods, crimes involving guns are carefully screened to determine whether prosecution at the federal or state level will mean stiffer sentences for violators. Through PSN, prosecutors at state and federal levels are collaborating and referring cases to one another in a coordinated manner.
Also, under Project Safe Neighborhoods, several prosecutors have been hired in Oregon communities to prosecute gun crimes including:
- A new prosecutor in Multnomah County focusing on juvenile crimes in the Gresham/Rockwood areas
- A new prosecutor in Marion County
- A new prosecutor in Clackamas County
Community Education
In Oregon, Project Safe Neighborhoods is reaching out to help citizens understand how the program helps protect our communities.
- Professionally produced public service announcements, which emphasize that there are penalties that felons face if they carry a firearm. The PSAs instruct citizens how to report illegal guns. PSAs have also been produced in Spanish. An additional PSA has been developed to reach out to victims and potential victims of domestic violence involving guns.
- Presentations are made at community meetings and forums to explain how the program works.
- Training sessions are held with local law enforcement to educate them about gun laws and their role in Project Safe Neighborhoods.
Advocacy for Domestic Violence Survivors
Reducing gun crimes related to domestic violence is a key priority for Project Safe Neighborhoods in Oregon. Significant resources have been designated to help in this effort, including:
- Three new victim advocates have been hired to work with the Portland Police Bureau Domestic Violence Reduction unit. These advocates attempt to proactively identify high-risk situations that could involve firearms and domestic violence.
- Staff members at several local domestic violence crisis hotlines have been trained to understand firearms laws and will refer victims to the appropriate resources for help.
- The Multnomah County Department of Community Justice has added two full-time parole and probation officers in its domestic violence unit.
- An additional Portland Police Bureau detective has been assigned to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Project Safe Neighborhoods Task Force in Portland. This detective will work on domestic violence cases involving firearms.
Accountability
Research and analysis of gun crimes is being conducted by Portland State University to track the impact of Project Safe Neighborhoods and to help the Task Force better deploy resources.
Preliminary Results
Since it began in 2002, Project Safe Neighborhoods has already demonstrated a positive impact in reducing gun crime in Oregon:
- Federal prosecutions of gun crimes have doubled.
- More than 225 defendants have been charged through the program.
- The average sentence for those convicted has been 50 months in federal prison.
- All federal defendants that are sentenced are supervised by federal parole and probation officers once released from prison.
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