Reauthorizes and modifies the Project Safe Neighborhoods Grant Program to reduce violent crime by allowing funds to be used for crime analysts, overtime costs, and technology, and requires annual reports to Congress on fund usage and crime statistics.
John Cornyn
Senator
TX
The "Project Safe Neighborhoods Reauthorization Act of 2025" reauthorizes and modifies the Project Safe Neighborhoods Grant Program to reduce violent crime by allowing grant funds to be used for hiring crime analysts, covering overtime costs, and acquiring technology. It also requires the Attorney General to submit an annual report to the Judiciary Committees of the Senate and the House of Representatives detailing how the funds were spent, the community outreach efforts undertaken, and the number and description of violent crimes committed. Additionally, the bill includes support for multi-jurisdictional task forces and is also known as the Officer Ella Grace French and Sergeant Jim Smith Task Force Support Act of 2025. Finally, the bill extends the authorization of appropriations through fiscal years 2026 through 2030.
Project Safe Neighborhoods Gets Funding Until 2030: Bill Boosts Crime Analysts, Tech, and Transparency
This legislation, the Project Safe Neighborhoods Reauthorization Act of 2025, essentially hits the 'renew' button on a long-standing federal program aimed at tackling violent crime, extending its funding authorization through fiscal year 2030. Launched back in 2001, Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) operates across the country, bringing together federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and community groups. The core idea, as outlined in Section 2, remains focused on community engagement, prevention, targeted enforcement, and accountability. But this bill isn't just a simple renewal; it tweaks how the grant money can be spent.
More Than Just Cuffs: Funding Brains and Bytes
So, what's new in the toolbox? Section 3 spells out some key updates to how PSN grant funds can be used. Now, local efforts can tap into this federal money to hire dedicated "crime analysts." Think data detectives – people who sift through crime reports and intel to spot patterns, identify hotspots, and help law enforcement focus their efforts more effectively, rather than just reacting. The bill also explicitly allows funds for overtime costs for law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and even the assistants helping them manage the workload tied to PSN initiatives. Finally, it greenlights spending on technology specifically aimed at reducing violent crime. This could range from data analysis software to communication systems, basically tools to make crime fighting potentially smarter and more efficient.
Crossing the Lines: Bolstering Task Forces
Crime doesn't respect city limits or county lines, and Section 4 of the bill acknowledges this by specifically adding support for multi-jurisdictional task forces under the PSN umbrella. This part is even named the "Officer Ella Grace French and Sergeant Jim Smith Task Force Support Act of 2025," highlighting the focus on collaborative policing efforts that span different agencies and areas. Practically, this means grant money can help fund operations where different police departments or agencies team up to tackle crime problems that cross their borders, like gun trafficking or gang activity.
Keeping Score: Tracking Dollars and Crime Rates
Here's a big one for accountability: Section 5 introduces a new transparency requirement. The Attorney General now has to send an annual report card to Congress. For every area using PSN funds, this report must detail exactly how the money was spent, what kind of community outreach happened, and crucially, the hard numbers on violent crimes – specifically murder, non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault – compared to the previous year. This means taxpayers and lawmakers get a clearer picture of whether the investment in specific communities is correlating with the program's goals of reducing violence and engaging residents. It's a way to see if the strategy is working on the ground, year by year.