Deputy Attorney General Paul J. McNulty Recognizes 2006 PSN Achievement Award Recipients at National Conference

4 May 2006

The Department of Justice today announced 15 recipients of national Project Safe Neighborhoods Achievement Awards in a ceremony held before the PSN national conference's more than 1,300 attendees. The recipients were chosen from a large pool of nominations submitted by United States Attorneys' offices across the nation.

"The partnerships created through the Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative have been essential to making our communities safer for our children, and they have helped fuel the lowest violent crime rates in over 30 years," said Deputy Attorney General McNulty. "The recipients of today's awards are recognized for their selfless and steadfast commitment to the fight against gun crime and gang violence, and their efforts represent the heart of Project Safe Neighborhoods."

The recipients of the 2006 PSN Achievement Awards are as follows:

Outstanding Mass Media Campaign

The Goodwin Company -- for its work as the public relations consultant for the Eastern District of Michigan's PSN task force.

Exemplary Local Training Program

Armstrong Atlantic State University Center for Justice Administration -- for its commitment to the Southern District of Georgia's PSN training initiative.

Dallas Community Prosecution Team -- for its program to educate offenders, a group identified by the district as being the most capable of preventing crime.

Outstanding Local Prosecutor's Office

State's Attorney's Office, 18th Judicial Circuit of Florida -- for being a visible, successful partner in the Middle District of Florida since 2002.

Outstanding Overall Partnership/Task Force

Eastern District of Pennsylvania -- for successfully establishing joint federal, state and local task forces in each of the jurisdiction's nine counties.

Outstanding Individual Contribution to a Gun Crime Task Force

Paul S. Becker, Assistant U.S. Attorney, Western District of Missouri -- for implementing a case screening process that resulted in 341 firearms cases in the district being prosecuted in 2005.

Stacey D. Haynes, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of South Carolina -- for forging successful partnerships and implementing the district's PSN initiative.

Anthony Scott Teal, Special Agent, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives -- for serving as the violent crime coordinator in Lexington, Ky., and training thousands of police officers statewide in gun crime investigations.

Ray Fidone, PSN Operations Director, District of Nebraska -- for directing enforcement and intervention strategies for the district's PSN initiative.

Detective Lieutenant Keith Campbell, Uintah County (Utah) Sheriff's Department -- for consistent commitment to PSN and for investigating and preparing PSN cases for state and federal prosecution from three counties.

Innovative Prevention Strategy

Illinois Department of Corrections Parolee Forums -- for being the most significant components of the Northern District of Illinois' gun violence prevention efforts.

Greater Newark Safer Cities Initiative -- for its work in identifying people most likely to be involved in violent crime and providing them with preventative social service support.

Outstanding Local Police Department Involvement

Memphis Police Department Project Safe Neighborhoods Unit -- for forming a special unit to review all firearm-related arrests in the county and assisting other task force members.

Outstanding Gun Crime Investigation

Operation Flea Collar, Northern District of Alabama -- for working with 20 law enforcement agencies in three states on a two-year undercover operation to combat illegal gun sales at flea markets in Alabama.

The Clarksdale Safe Neighborhoods Task Force, Northern District of Mississippi -- for its successful investigation and prosecution of gang members, despite instances of witness intimidation, and for its use of ballistics tracing to solve gang-related shootings.

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Source: usnewswire

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