The Governor’s Office of Crime Control & Prevention today announced it is awarding grants totaling $2,278,175 dollars to 28 local law enforcement agencies under the CSAFE-VPI Program (Collaborative Supervision and Focused Enforcement/Violence Prevention Initiative.)
CSAFE-VPI links local law enforcement agencies with the state Division of Parole and Probation (DPP) and the Dept. of Juvenile Services (DJS) to closely supervise the state’s violent criminals who are most likely to re-offend. DPP created a risk assessment tool to identify the most dangerous offenders under supervision. Using specific screening criteria, DPP has identified approximately 2,400 offenders under community-based supervision who had a high propensity for committing future violent crimes, and developed enhanced supervision and containment models to manage these high-risk offenders.
Collaboration and information sharing between the DPP and local law enforcement agencies are the key to this program. Live, accurate and timely data about offenders is provided as crime patterns unfold. This innovative approach brings together federal, state, and local agencies to collaborate and strategize on crime reduction with particular emphasis on removal of the most violent repeat offenders.
The program’s focus is to link customized crime strategies with State resources, agencies and institutions. It has been a key factor in the reduction of violent crime in Maryland to record lows.