R2007-22 AUTHORIZING SUBMISSION OF GRANT APPLICATION

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Description of Jurisdiction: Please provide a short description of the jurisdiction this project will serve, including information on any special characteristic or issues: The Anti-Crime Team will serve the citizens of Decatur. The team will work closely with patrol division personnel and specialized investigation units within the department, outside law enforcement agencies as well as community groups such as Coalition of Neighborhood Organizations (CONO) and several faith based organizations providing services in the community. Local faith based organizations; the Macon County States Attorney and the Decatur Police Department are working on brin in Cease Fire Illinois to Decatur. Current situation: Please describe the current situation in your jurisdiction that you wish to address through the proposed project. For the last three years, the violent crime rate in Decatur has increased dramatically. The street gangs control the crack cocaine, heroin and cannabis trade in Decatur. The street gangs are mainly divided into three groups; the Gangster Disciples, the Vice Lords and the local street corner gangs. The Gangster Disciples include"The Tennesseans"which have been around for several years and are involved in many of the recent shootings but have had several of their key figures murdered in the last couple of years. The Vice Lords include the Latin Kings, the Black P. Stones and the Moe's (Moorish Americans). The Moe's have been the main source of violence with"The Tennesseans." The final group of gangs consists of simple street corner drug dealers. Examples of these groups/gangs are; the Leafland Street Boyz, the East Side Boyz, the Haworth/West Side and the Maffit/John Street Boyz or Moes's. Do you have any data that indicates the need for this project? Does this information �I indicate a stable need for the project, growth in a particular area or any change in the situation over time? In 2004, there were five murders. Three of the five murders were directly related to gangs and/or drugs with firearms being used in all three murders. Also, there were 740 calls for service indicating "unlawful use of weapons." 43 "shootings with intended victims"reports were taken in 2004. In 2005, there were nine murders. Six murders were directly related to gangs and/or drugs with firearms being used in all six. There were also 997 calls for service indicating"unlawful use of weapons."This is a 35% increase over 2004. In 2005, there were 70 "shootings with intended victims" which is a 63% increase over 2004. The first six months of 2006, there have been eight murders, four directly related to gang/drug violence with firearms being used in all four. There have been 682 calls for service indicating"unlawful use of weapons." Also,there have been 57 "shootings with intended victims." Lack of cooperation in the gang/drug incidents is the norm. 2