Engaging the Community in Project Safe Neighborhoods

October 2005

Although outreach, including “community engagement,” is a key element of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), it is not always clear just what is meant by “community”—who comprises it, how it should be engaged, and how the community can benefit United States Attorneys' Offices in prosecuting and preventing gun crimes. The main objectives of this guide are to:

• Offer working definitions of “community” and “community engagement” that are PSN-specific.
  
  
• Provide information on the benefits and potential benefits of community engagement, drawing on concrete examples of strategies that are working for PSN task forces across the country.
  
  
• Begin to address the “how” of community engagement by offering examples from PSN task forces that have been involving community organizations, faith-based organizations, Weed & Seed partners, and others in reducing gun crime.
  
  
• Suggest a model for community engagement in PSN, along with action steps and a self-assessment guide that task forces can use to assess where they are now and where they want to be.