Involving Probation and Parole in
Project Safe Neighborhoods
February 13, 2005

Whereas: Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is a nationwide commitment to reduce gun crime in the United States by networking existing local programs that focus on reducing gun crime and providing those programs with additional tools necessary to be successful;

Whereas: PSN is based on the success of Boston’s Operation Ceasefire and Richmond, Virginia’s Project Exile, which utilized police/probation/community partnerships to mount a focused proactive search for individuals considered a high risk to illegally possess and use firearms. Probation and parole officers were key players in these successful initiatives and their collaborative efforts continue and have been replicated in other communities;

Whereas: The goal of the American Probation and Parole Association’s (APPA) PSN initiative is to actively involve probation and parole in partnerships with other justice agencies to provide safer neighborhoods;

Whereas: The APPA PSN initiative will provide resources and support proactive community supervision to promote safe communities by:
- encouraging partnerships of probation and parole with other justice agencies to institute preventative practices to discourage illegal firearm possession;

• identify prohibited persons in possession of firearms;

• retrieving the weapons; and

• when called for, referring for federal prosecution "prohibited persons” found to be in possession of firearms.

Therefore, be it resolved.

The American Probation and Parole Association hereby recognizes the importance of Project Safe Neighborhoods and recommends that probation, parole and other community supervision agencies join in Project Safe Neighborhoods’ efforts to reduce gun crime by “prohibited persons” in possession of firearms.