Welcome

Welcome to the SafeCities web site -- a place where people who want to make a difference in reducing gun violence can learn from each other, work together to solve problems, and measure how we are doing to protect and nurture our nation's communities.

SafeCities began in Nashville, Tennessee in June 1999 at Family
Re-Union 8 http://www.familyreunion.org, when Vice President Al Gore met with community leaders and heard how they had worked together to reduce gun violence. After a nationwide search for communities to form the nucleus of the SafeCities network, the Vice President announced ten performance partnerships in November 1999.

Each performance partnership has a variety of community representatives -- community groups, law enforcement officials, public health officials, leaders of the faith and business communities and educators -- and each has a federal point of contact to help achieve their goals.

The network is supported by a steering committee that includes the COPS Office, the Executive Office of the US Attorneys and the Office of Justice Programs at the Department of Justice, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms at the Department of Treasury, the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Program of the Office of the National Drug Control Policy, the Office of Management and Budget, and the National Partnership for Reinventing Government.

Goals of the SafeCities Network:

1. Reduce gun violence.
2. Promote prevention, early intervention, and enforcement.
3. Address barriers at the federal, state, and local level-in ways allowable under the current law-to increase the flexibility and effectiveness of resources.
4. Obtain technical support and facilitate access to best practices employed in various communities.
5. Share lessons with other communities.