Crime Prevention Through Safer Streets Grants Program

Overview

CEPP is working with the Colorado Department of Public Safety on the Crime Prevention Through Safer Streets Grant Program, a new initiative to evaluate and design safer streets and neighborhood models that discourage crime, revitalize community image, and establish specific crime prevention strategies that account for geographic, cultural, economic, and social characteristics of the target areas.

Our Approach

The Crime Prevention Through Safer Streets grant program was passed by the Colorado State Legislature to assist local jurisdictions with assessing, analyzing, and reviewing available data, resources, and information regarding local crime and with developing locally appropriate, evidence-based crime prevention strategies. CEPP is providing technical assistance as needed regarding these topics and aiding local jurisdictions in understanding “crime prevention through environmental design” concepts.

In collaboration with its project partner, Applied Research Services (ARS), CEPP is also assisting the Advisory Committee established by the Colorado legislature in developing criteria that will be utilized to review local jurisdictions’ grant requests submitted under this project. Those criteria could include:

• The nature and extent of the criminal issues or problems cited by local jurisdictions
• The quality or availability of data to support the description of the problems cited or to assist with the development of proposed solutions
• The extent to which collaborative partnerships have been or will be developed to appropriately identify issues, opportunities, and resources, and to develop potential solutions to problems cited
• The extent to which pertinent cultural, economic, and social characteristics of the local jurisdiction’s population have been considered
• Whether potential remedies or solutions being considered or sought appear to be consistent with evidence-based literature or best practices

CEPP will help guide the Advisory Board as the criteria are developed, work with jurisdictions to clarify and understand submission expectations, evaluate and assess submissions, and provide other assistance as needed.

The Impact

The assistance provided by CEPP and ARS under the Crime Prevention Through Safer Streets Grant Program will help jurisdictions:

• Identify potential community partners and resources
• Promote a collaborative climate for studying and identifying key issues involving crime that are of concern to the community
• Identify available data resources and information for analysis
• Provide analysis that will help identify specific locations and the scope of specific crime problems
• Promote a review of community circumstances in light of appropriate cultural, economic, social, and other characteristics