For Immediate Release: July 16, 2008                                
Contact: Corey Welford/Jessica Venezia 781-897-8325

U.S. Attorney’s Office Awards “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Grant To Middlesex D.A. and Lowell P.D.
 $200,000 Grant Will Fund Local Crime Prevention Initiatives, Enhance Investigation and Prosecution Of Gang and Gun Violence In Lowell Area

LOWELL – Seeking to help combat gang and gun violence in Greater Lowell, the United States Attorney’s Office has awarded the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and the Lowell Police Department with a $200,000 Project Safe Neighborhoods Grant (PSN) to fund community-based crime prevention programs and enhance local efforts to investigate and prosecute gang and gun crimes.

The grant will be used by the Middlesex District Attorney’s office and the Lowell Police Department to fund already existing prevention and problem-solving initiatives that aim to decrease gang activity and gun violence.  Additionally, the funding will be used to expand and extend public awareness campaigns in Lowell, including the Community Hotline, Crime Stoppers Tip Line and Lowell’s “Top Ten Most Wanted” program.  The Middlesex District Attorney’s office will provide its prosecutors with specialized gang-related crime training that will detail the various options ADAs have when prosecuting cases on the state-level. In addition, the Middlesex D.A.’s office, along with non-profit Middlesex Partnerships for Youth, has agreed to create a new training program to focus on gang violence.  This program will train school administrators, teachers, and School Resource Officers on ways to reduce intolerance, identify gang activity, and work to prevent gang crimes.  Under this program, students will also receive training on how to make positive decisions when faced with the prospect of gang involvement and delinquency. 

“I regard Project Safe Neighborhoods as one of the most significant gun and gang violence reduction efforts ever developed in this country,” U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan said. “I would like to commend District Attorney Leone and Superintendent Lavallee for their unprecedented commitment to support comprehensive and innovative community-based programming and law enforcement training. I am confident that this PSN funding will enhance and support ongoing efforts in the City of Lowell, and look forward to our continuing partnership.”

“This grant is a critical tool to not only enhance our existing programs, but also allow us to implement new community-based initiatives to combat gang and gun violence in Lowell,” District Attorney Leone said. “The true beneficiaries of this grant are the people of Lowell, and we want to thank U.S. Attorney Sullivan for awarding us with these important funds. We look forward to continuing our excellent partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s office and Lowell PD to both investigate and prosecute gang violence as well as implement critical crime prevention programs.”

“The Lowell Police Department continues to work diligently to maintain a safe city,” Lowell Police Superintendent Ken Lavallee said. “We are thankful for this funding as it will be utilized to build our capacity to prevent, deter, and suppress gang and gun crimes within the City. We look forward to continuing our partnership with the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and the United States Attorney’s Office as this initiative moves forward.”             

According to the Lowell Police Department’s Crime Analysis and Intelligence Unit, there are as many as 25 active gangs operating within the city. These individuals, according to the LPD, usually range in age from 17-24 with children as young as 10 entering gangs.  With the PSN funding, the Lowell Police Department will increase police presence and conduct gun and gang-related investigations. The Gang Unit is making a real difference in Lowell and has produced intelligence that indicates that several potential homicides have been prevented.  Additionally, last year officers removed 56 illegal firearms from the streets, of which 27 were recovered from known gang members.  
           
The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office has engaged in a number of efforts to combat gang and gun violence. For instance, District Attorney Leone has placed an emphasis on breaking through the code of silence amongst gang members and other criminals by prosecuting those who intentionally compromise an investigation by lying or obstruction. The office has also worked to expand its school-based CBJ programs into middle schools, working to identify at-risk youth and intervene before they turn to gangs and violence. The office has also placed a special ADA, Kara Crysil, in Lowell Superior Court whose specific job is to prosecute gun and gang crimes in the Greater Lowell area.

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