U.S. Department of Justice’s Violence Reduction Network

• Violence Reduction Clearinghouse launched, offering tools to those looking for customized solutions to support violence reduction efforts
• Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch Delivers Remarks at the Fourth Annual Violence Reduction Network Summit
• U.S. Department of Justice Press Release
• U.S. Department of Justice Release SPI Grants
• VRN Training and Technical Assistance Catalog September 2015
• Department of Justice Launches National Violence Reduction Network (Press Release)
• Violence Reduction Network web site

VRN is

• A comprehensive program created by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), to leverage existing DOJ resources to deliver strategic, intensive training and technical assistance (TTA) in an "all-hands" approach to reduce violence in some of the country’s most violent cities.
• A partnership between federal and local law enforcement leaders focused on effective approaches to violence reduction strategies.

  - Office of Justice Programs	- U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration
  - Federal Bureau of Investigation	- Executive Office for United States Attorneys
  - Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives	- Office on Violence Against Women
  - U.S. Marshals Service	- Office of Community Oriented Policing Services

• Site-specific and designed to complement existing local antiviolence efforts in participating sites by providing requested training and technical assistance resources in a systematic way.

VRN Offers...

• Customized Training and Technical Assistance (TTA): Sites have expedited access to existing customized DOJ-sponsored TTA directed to their specific violent crime needs. Site representatives have direct access to subject-matter experts who offer expertise and support to successfully address critical issues.
• Strategic Site Liaisons (SSLs): Each site is assigned a law enforcement professional to navigate DOJ resources in coordination with the local United States Attorney, who will serve a federal leadership function.
• Robust Tools to Enhance Information Sharing: The VRN sites have many opportunities to share information and best practices through a variety of communication vehicles, including peer-to-peer exchanges, the official VRN Web site VRNetwork.org, weekly bulletins, monthly Webinars, and a quarterly newsletter.
• Annual VRN Summit: The annual VRN Summit provides member sites an opportunity to participate in collaborative working sessions with federal leadership to analyze site-specific violence challenges and to discuss the variety of existing DOJ resources available to address the issues. The summit’s working sessions with subject-matter experts address carefully selected topics proposed by site leaders and tailored to site-specific crime reduction plans.

Partner Sites are...

• Communities with violence levels that far exceed the national average. They represent jurisdictions in diverse geographic regions with distinctive characteristics, such as multiple federal initiatives or a unique law enforcement structure.
• In consultation with United States Attorneys and DOJ law enforcement partners, sites are selected through a quantitative and qualitative evaluation process that includes examination of:
  • Violent crime rates well above the national average.
  • Jurisdictions in different geographic regions with distinct characteristics.
  • Readiness to participate in this collaborative initiative.

FY 2014
Camden, NJ
Chicago, IL
Detroit, MI
Oakland/Richmond, CA
Wilmington, DE

FY 2015
Compton, CA
Flint, MI
Little Rock, AR
Newark, NJ
St. Louis, MO

FY 2016
Milwaukee, WI
New Orleans, LA
St. Louis, MO
Jackson, MS
Nashville, TN

Additional information on the Violence Reduction Network, please visit www.vrnetwork.org

Contact:
Kristie Brackens
VRN Co-Director
Senior Policy Advisor
(202)305-1229
Kristie.Brackens@usdoj.gov