A long-running federal anti-violence program will be expanding to downtown Chicago and mass transit for the first time this summer, enhancing the investigation and prosecution of gun crimes, drug trafficking, robberies and carjackings at a time when city violence typically spikes.
The creation of a new downtown zone for the program, Project Safe Neighborhoods, is the first public initiative announced by U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros, who took office two months ago and has said that curbing violence is at the top of his to-do list.
“Downtown Chicago is the capital of the region’s economy and the cultural and civic heart of the Midwest, where interstate commerce runs strong,” Boutros said in a statement. “Many billions of dollars of revenue, taxes, and investments are anchored in our city’s financial districts, and when violence and criminal activity cause our residents, businesses, and tourists not to feel safe to live, invest, and shop in Chicago, everyone suffers, whether at the federal, state, or local level.”
Since its inception in the early 2000s, Project Safe Neighborhoods has been deployed in neighborhoods on the West and South sides of the city historically plagued by gangs, poverty and violence. Currently, there are seven “zones” where PSN resources are used, each overseen by a coordinator in the U.S. attorney’s office.
The expansion includes parts of three police districts in downtown financial zones as well as on the CTA trains that serve neighborhoods across the city and O’Hare and Midway airports.
It marked the first time anywhere in the country that Project Safe Neighborhoods will be deployed on mass transit, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
Originally launched in 2001, Project Safe Neighborhoods is a federally funded, nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, and local law enforcement and other stakeholders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.
Participating agencies include Chicago police, the FBI, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and Cook County sheriff’s office.
The federal grants will be used to hire new law enforcement personnel, pay overtime to officers patrolling trains and downtown locations, obtain equipment and training and provide anti-violence messaging, the U.S. attorney’s office said.
“For violent offenders arrested downtown or aboard CTA trains, criminal prosecutors will bring appropriate charges to achieve maximum deterrence and will seek pretrial detention and substantial prison sentences for
defendants who pose a danger to the community,” the statement said.
jmeisner@chicagotribune.com
