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Denver, Colorado
LEIC Participates in Project
Safe Neighborhoods National Conference
The fourth Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) National Conference
was held May 2-4, 2006 in Denver, Colorado, sponsored by the US
Department of Justice. The conference was attended by approximately
1,200 law enforcement and community delegates representing all 50
states. The conference showcased successful PSN programs from across
the country and provided an opportunity to exchange information
on effective crime-reduction strategies.
Since President Bush announced the PSN initiative in 2001, the
PSN network has created strategic partnerships between federal state
and local law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, community leaders,
and faith-based and service organizations. Each have worked aggressively
to enforce the nation’s gun laws and these efforts have resulted
in a 73% increase in the number of federal firearms prosecutions.
The PSN network has also implemented prevention and deterrence programs
aimed at potential offenders and at-risk youth and as a result,
the violent crime rate has fallen to its lowest level in 30 years.
A top priority has emerged – Gangs with Guns – an increasingly
deadly threat to our nation’s citizens and communities. Addressing
that threat in partnership among federal, state, local and community
partners is a top priority of the department of Justice. Together,
these partners will build on the effective collaborations and strategies
pioneered under PSN and shut down violent gangs in America.
PSN Delegates representing the Eastern District of Tennessee included
Steve Cook, Assistant US Attorney in Knoxville; Chief David Beams
Oak Ridge Police Department; Chief Ken Burge, Alcoa Police Department;
Joe Kennedy, Special Agent in Charge, ATF-Chattanooga; Todd Martin,
Assistant District Attorney in Sullivan County (TN); Jim Claiborne,
Knoxville Police Department Investigator; Mike Hill, UT LEIC Training
Consultant, and Amanda Watts, UT LEIC Training Coordinator.
The PSN program (national and local) has a wide variety of dedicated
partners committed to its overall success, including –
- International Association of Chiefs of Police
- National District Attorneys Association
- Office of the United States Attorneys
- National Crime Prevention Council
- Community Oriented Policing Services
- Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
- Michigan State University School of Criminal Justice
- University of Tennessee Law Enforcement Innovation Center
For more information on PSN or the services of the Law Enforcement
Innovation Center, please contact Amanda Watts, UT LEIC Training
Coordinator, amanda.watts@tennessee.edu
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Knoxville
Project Safe Neighborhoods,
Community Outreach, November 1, 2004
Local media outlets were recognized for their support of Project
Safe Neighborhoods at a news conference on November 1st in the Knoxville
PSN Zone. Television and radio stations across the District have
donated thousands of minutes of PSA time airing the localized PSN
commercials taped at the television studios at The University of
Tennessee.
Lamar Advertising has made a huge contribution of billboard space
for the next twelve months in the Knoxville PSN Zone. There are
currently 5 billboards prominently displayed on all major roadways
surrounding the Five Points area of East Knoxville. Four of the
billboards are 48 feet in length and prominently push our message
“Gun Crime Means Hard Time.” The General Manager of
Lamar Advertising, Mike Fleming, acknowledged the efforts of the
U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Knoxville Police Department, the
Knox County Sheriff’s Office and all the federal agencies
that have joined together in an effort to reduce gun violence in
the Eastern District of Tennessee. (See photos
from press conference on Nov 1, 2004)
Knoxville Area Transit (KAT) buses will also be carrying 42-inch
trademark bumper sticker style interior signs and all advertising
space has been donated to PSN.
Vehicle decals designed to be displayed from either inside or outside
the police cars have been distributed and placed on all Sheriff’s
Department and Police Department marked units. Several agencies
in the region have requested and received these decals as well.
The Oak Ridge Police Department is a recipient of a mini-grant
from the Knoxville Police Department and is using their PSN funds
to revitalize a donated school bus. The new Mobile Substation will
be taken into areas where an increased police presence seems to
curb violence. The substation can be used as a community outreach
vehicle as well as a command post. It sports the Violent Crimes
Task Force decal on both sides and will be stocked with PSN literature
for distribution in the communities.
Other areas in the Eastern District are encouraged to seek out
donations of advertising space from billboard companies and local
transit authorities. Knoxville has set the example and local law
enforcement has received favorable media coverage for their gun
violence reduction efforts. LEIC has a supply of the interior bus
signs that are available to areas with public transportation buses.
The standard size signs are designed to be utilized with all types
of buses. We can also provide the graphics and artwork that can
be used by your local billboard advertising companies to produce
various sizes of billboards.
If you need additional information, please contact Amanda Watts
at 865.215.1356 or via e-mail at amanda.watts@tennessee.edu
. There are restrictions on the amount and types of advertising
that can be done with PSN funds—we are not allowed to purchase
any airtime for PSAs. The US Attorney’s Office and The University
of Tennessee are prohibited from seeking donations of any type,
but local law enforcement and other service providers have been
extremely successful in the seeking this support in Knoxville. We
look forward to hearing from you as your regions identify advertising
outlets and we will post your successes on the website.
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Hamblen County
Man hit with stiffer sentence
under new gun prosecution plan
By: ROBERT MOORE, Tribune Staff Writer August 20, 2004
When a Hamblen County deputy stopped Sidney
Carmichael's vehicle in May 2003, he apparently knew his was in
trouble. He just didn't know how much.
Authorities allege he fled from the vehicle, which contained a .38-caliber
pistol. Carmichael, a 26-year-old Morristown man, maintained he
was holding the gun for somebody else, according to court documents.
The problem was Carmichael pleaded guilty
to possession of crack cocaine in 1998, and was prohibited from
owning or possessing a firearm.
After catching another drug charge in another
county, federal prosecutors opted to pursue charges against Carmichael
under new Project Safe Neighborhoods legislation that provides for
longer jail terms for repeat offenders carrying weapons.
Earlier this week, Carmichael became the
first Hamblen County resident to be prosecuted under the Project
Safe Neighborhood legislation. Both the drug charge and the firearm
charge were transferred to federal court.
A judge sentenced Carmichael to 10 years
for drug possession and five years for the weapons violation, according
to Detective Chris Blair, who heads up the Morristown Police Department
Narcotics Division.
Carmichael will have to serve at least 10½
years in federal prison before he's eligible for parole. Following
his release, he'll be on supervised release for another eight years.
If Carmichael had been convicted in state
court, he would have been eligible for parole after serving just
30 percent of his sentence, but inmates frequently are released
earlier for good behavior.
Carmichael was the first Hamblen County resident
to face a longer prison term under Project Safe Neighborhoods guidelines,
but he won't be the last, according to MPD Officer Kenneth Hinkle.
Hinkle, who heads up the program for the
police department, says federal prosecutors have accepted six of
the 17 cases officers have submitted for prosecution under the stricter
guidelines. Their cases could reach a federal grand jury as early
as September.
Once local officers identify a case they
believe could be pursued in federal court, they contact the state
district attorney general's office.
The state attorney general relays the information
to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, which makes
the determination after consulting with federal
prosecutors, according to Hinkle.
Link:
©Citizen Tribune 2004
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Gun initiative aims to
give violators stiffer sentences
By: ROBERT MOORE, Tribune Staff Writer August 16, 2004
Repeat gun-toting offenders convicted of crimes
in Morristown now risk significantly longer prison sentences, officials
said this morning.
That's because some repeat offenders' cases could be diverted from
state court to federal court under the new grant-funded Project
Safe Neighborhoods initiative, a partnership between the Morristown
Police Department and state and federal prosecutors.
Officer Kenneth Hinkle, Project Safe Neighborhoods
officer, says six of the 17 cases he's referred for consideration
since February will be presented to a federal grand jury in Greeneville
as early as September.
Individuals convicted of weapons violations
in federal court almost always serve more prison time than those
convicted of related offenses like armed robbery in federal court,
according to Police Chief Roger Overholt.
"The goal of the Safe Neighborhoods
Program is to reduce gun violence in our community," Overholt
said. "The initial implementation of this program appears to
be very successful at this point because we already have been able
to prosecute cases at the federal level."
Hinkle says repeat burglary or drug offenders
also could face prosecution under federal weapons statutes. Federal
law prohibits individuals convicted of felonies to own or possess
firearms.
Once police officers identify a person they
believe could be eligible for federal prosecution, they contact
the state attorney general's office, which in turn, notifies the
federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
An ATF agent reviews the case, then forwards
it to the U.S. attorney's office if he or she believes the case
meets federal guidelines, according to Hinkle.
But increased enforcement is only one facet
of the Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, according to Sgt.
Michelle Jones, program administrator, who obtained the $50,000
grant that completely funds the two-year effort.
Jones says public education and gun safety
also are central goals.
"We've conducted several presentations
within at-risk communities to educate both adults and youth,"
Overholt said. "This program reflects the success of law enforcement
and citizens working together to make our community a safer place."
Hinkle, who speaks Spanish, has conducted
gun-education seminars for members of Morristown's Latino community.
Another facet of Project Safe Neighborhoods
is distributing gunlocks. The MPD already has given away approximately
500 gunlocks and plans to distribute more.
Ironically, Hinkle said, one of the six cases
accepted by federal prosecutors involved a convicted felon who had
an
MPD-supplied gunlock on his firearm.
Link: http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=12704833&BRD=1613&PAG=461&dept_id=159362&rfi=6
©Citizen Tribune 2004
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