Jackson lands federal money to halt violent crime
- Jackson selected as one of 15 sites to join federal initiative to reduce violence
- Grants available to support body-worn camera programs and address untested sexual assault kits
On the heels of the capital city's 50th homicide on Friday, the Department of Justice announced Monday that Jackson is one of 15 sites around the country selected to be in a federal initiative to reduce violence.
Jackson, along with Nashville, is being added to the DOJ's Violence Reduction Network, which provides resources and funding to help reduce violent crime in partnered cities.
The VRN program was established two years ago to leverage resources and provide a hands-on approach by federal agencies to take aim at cities where the violence level exceeds the national average.
Also taken into consideration is the city's willingness to participate. Greg Davis, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi, said other cities will benefit from the experience, network and training that local authorities will gain from the two years the city is part of the program.
Jackson Mayor Tony Yarber and Police Chief Lee Vance are in Little Rock, Arkansas, along with Davis for the summit on the program this week.
Yarber said he's optimistic about the changes that being part of the VRN will bring. He said he and Davis started talking about such a move when he'd been in office barely a month.
"This gives us an opportunity to be officially a part of the network," he said. "I'm really excited about the ability to work more closely with federal agencies."
Tactical and operational expertise from agencies such as the FBI; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Marshals Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration; and the Executive Office for United States Attorneys — among others — provides training, technical assistance and immediate subject matter expertise tailored to each partnered city's unique challenges.
Former St. Louis Police Chief Daniel Isom will work out of JPD for the next two years as a full-time, on-site liaison to the network, officials said.
“Not only does this give us access to additional resources, it also helps to create an exchange of strategies among the cities,” Vance said in a Monday news release.
U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said the program has brought "unprecedented collaboration" since the start of the program in 2014.
“Cooperation is the hallmark of the Violence Reduction Network, and the work we have done together reminds us that we are not helpless — or hopeless — in the face of violence. It makes clear that by bridging divides and building trust, we can shape the direction of our communities," Lynch said.
In summer 2015, Jackson police partnered with federal authorities in the 120-Day Initiative, which helped put into the federal system many repeat offenders who are being released by the justice systems in Hinds County.
"We've not had as much participation as we'd like to see from the district attorney's office, and (with the 120-day initiative) we were able to get some guys with a really bad history of creating violence and wreaking havoc off the streets," Yarber said.
Davis said the 120-day initiative brought in extra resources through the ATF for that time but that the local violent crime initiative has continued and will be bolstered by the help of the VRN.
Yarber said that over the next two years there is a challenge for those involved locally.
"What's been ringing in my head since I sat down in my seat this morning is sustainability," he said. "When our time with the Violence Reduction Network is over and there's no more access to funding, can the city and the department continue to retain those relationships and see violence reduced in our community? My hope is a functional plan even in a time where funding and budgets are drying up like they are."
At the summit, Lynch also announced over $54 million in grants to law enforcement agencies, research institutions, states, cities, tribes and other local government entitiesto support body-worn camera programs and address untested sexual assault kits. Assistant Attorney General Karol V. Mason announced an additional $13.6 million to help develop innovative, data-driven approaches to crime; reduce and more effectively prosecute gun crimes; and increase public safety through community-based partnerships.
Yarber said it's not clear whether any of those funds will come to Jackson but that it does give the city priority in the grant selection process.
Jackson had 46 homicides this time last year, and ended 2015 with 58 overall.
Other cities involved in the VRN program are:
- Camden, New Jersey
- Chicago
- Detroit
- Oakland/Richmond, California
- Wilmington, Delaware
- Compton, California
- Flint, Michigan
- Little Rock, Arkansas
- Newark, New Jersey
- St. Louis
- Milwaukee
- New Orleans
Contact Therese Apel at tapel@gannett.com or (601) 961-7236. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
