March 20, 2019
Carson City, NV – Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford announced that his office has received a $1.2 million grant to address gang suppression in Clark County. The grant aims to reduce gang violence in southern Nevada through the creation of culturally specific and sensitive programs, targeted outreach, gang suppression strategy and strengthened cross-agency communication. The federal funding was made available through the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
In its grant application, the Office of the Nevada Attorney General proposed to use the grant funding to develop and implement a customized gang suppression strategy with a collaborative, multi-disciplinary Steering Committee. This strategy aims to reduce and sustain reductions in community youth violence, particularly gang violence associated with transnational crime organizations. Additionally, this funding will facilitate the sharing of gang intelligence information among law enforcement agencies with the intent of preventing violence and promoting healing in the home, school and community.
“Reducing gang violence in our communities requires the collaboration and cooperation of local, state and federal partners,” said AG Ford. “Ultimately, this grant program seeks to increase the safety, well-being and healthy development of children, youth and families in southern Nevada, and my office is proud to take a leadership role in this important effort.”
Funding will be distributed to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) for overtime costs to contend with gangs and to further their efforts to dismantle them; Clark County School District Police Department for overtime as they join forces with LVMPD, as well as funding for essential communication devices; Latin Chamber of Commerce of Nevada to provide culturally-specific mentoring for youth in the community, Southwest Gang Information Center to serve as the program manager, work with stakeholders and community liaisons as well as provide training; and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas to complete data analysis and generate project-related reports for continuous project monitoring. Funding will also be used for training purposes.
This project is deeply collaborative, and our office is proud to have the support and commitment of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada, the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health, the Nevada Victims of Crime Program, the State of Nevada Advisory Council for Prosecuting Attorneys, and the Nevada District Attorneys Association.
###