Blog: KPD News & Alerts

Knoxville Selected for Department of Justice National Public Safety Partnership

Knoxville has been selected to be a part of the National Public Safety Partnership (PSP), it was announced by the United States Department of Justice on November 2, 2023.

Since its inception, PSP has served more than 50 jurisdictions across the United States, including Chicago, Ill., Baltimore, Md., Memphis, Tenn., and Anchorage, Alaska. Chattanooga, Tennessee is a current PSP site.

Coordinated by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), PSP provides enhanced federal support of local law enforcement agencies to develop evidence-based strategies to reduce crime, improve public safety and build community trust.

“This is an absolute game-changer for our department and the City as a whole,” Chief of Police Paul Noel said. “PSP will give our department unprecedented access to the training, technical assistance, subject-matter experts and funding opportunities to greatly improve our department and implement best practices.”

PSP is a three-year commitment from the Department of Justice that includes a strategic site liaison, an annual Violent Crime Summit, and robust training and technical assistance support. PSP also includes assistance in eight core areas, which include community engagement, constitutional policing, crime analysis, gun violence, investigations and technology.

“Being selected for PSP falls right in line with our continued public safety efforts,” said Mayor Indya Kincannon. “We have made huge strides in Knoxville using evidence-based strategies, and this Department of Justice program will only bolster the efforts of KPD and our Office of Community Safety and Empowerment.”

Former Milwaukee Chief of Police Ed Flynn has been named Knoxville’s strategic site liaison. Before his decade of service as the Milwaukee Chief of Police, Flynn served as the police commissioner in Springfield, Massachusetts.

“I am deeply appreciative of the Department of Justice for selecting our jurisdiction to join the PSP network,” Chief Noel said. “We have made a lot of strides as a department over the past 18 months. Being a part of the PSP and everything that comes with that will help us continue pushing forward and reach our ultimate goal of becoming the premier law enforcement agency in the Southeast region. This is an incredible opportunity for our department.”

The Department of Justice press release is available here.

About the National Public Safety Partnership

The National Public Safety Partnership (PSP) was established by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to provide an innovative framework to enhance federal support of state, local, and tribal law enforcement and prosecution authorities in enhancing public safety.

PSP began as a pilot program, the Violence Reduction Network, in 2014 and is designed to promote interagency coordination by leveraging specialized law enforcement expertise with dedicated prosecutorial resources to promote public and community safety.

PSP serves as a DOJ-wide program that enables participating sites to consult with and receive expedited, coordinated training and technical assistance (TTA) and an array of resources from DOJ to enhance local public safety strategies. This model enables DOJ to provide jurisdictions of different sizes and diverse needs with data-driven, evidence-based strategies tailored to the unique local needs of participating cities to build their capacities to address violent crime challenges. PSP has engaged with more than 40 sites since the program’s inception.

DOJ is committed to advancing work that promotes civil rights, increases access to justice, supports crime victims, protects the public from crime and evolving threats, and builds trust between law enforcement and the community. The PSP initiative supports and advances DOJ’s principles in all of its activities.

Posted by serland On 15 November, 2023 at 8:20 AM