LUBBOCK, Texas — Project Safe Neighborhoods is a an initiative that allows federal, state and local governments to work together in an effort to reduce violent crime.
On Friday, the U.S. Attorney General’s Office of North Texas held a press conference at the Lubbock Police Department to announce the program.
Erin Nealy Cox, the attorney general of North Texas, said the program has already been successful in other Texas cities like Amarillo and Dallas.
“When we focus our efforts on one geographic location like Lubbock, the entire city benefits from that effort,” Cox said.
Cox said law enforcement will focus on a ‘hot spot’ that includes Central and East Lubbock–most notably, the Arnett Benson neighborhood.
“We’re not just in there to arrest people, we’re there to really make the community a better place,” Cox said.
Interim Police Chief Jerry Brewer said the ‘hot spot’ was chosen entirely based on violent crime data. He said in those areas, neighbors can expect to see higher police presence.
“We want to get ahead of it before things get really out of hand, and this is an initiative where we empower our patrol officers,” Brewer said.
Some of the initiatives in the neighborhood will include sharing data with federal agencies, holding weekly briefings and trying to engage and educate the community.
