Presenter
Presented by Ms. Carlisle
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WHEREAS, Operation Weed and Seed is a joint federal, state, and local coordinated law enforcement and community investment initiative sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice under the local leadership of the Office of the Mayor and the United States Attorney; and
WHEREAS, Pittsburgh's Weed and Seed effort has brought crime down by over 41% in target neighborhoods. Residents perceive their neighborhoods to be significantly safer across multiple outcome measures, including the severity of crime and police effectiveness in controlling crime; and
WHEREAS, the 1999 National Evaluation of Weed and Seed cited Pittsburgh as the best program in the country. Other studies by the National Institute of Justice, the Urban Institute, the CORO Center for Civic Leadership, and the University of Pittsburgh praised Pittsburgh's Weed and Seed program for its creativity and effectiveness in helping neighborhoods to fight crime within an overall context of community change; and
WHEREAS, Steering Committees comprised of various representatives from the community, law enforcement, and governments are impaneled for each target area. Major goals of Operation Weed and Seed include: a) to eliminate violent crime, drug trafficking, and drug-related crime from targeted high crime neighborhoods; and b) To provide a safe environment for law abiding citizens to live, work, and raise a family; and
WHEREAS, over $7 million in federal funds were awarded in over 10 years to the City of Pittsburgh for Operation Weed and Seed. The program is entirely self-supporting. That amount has leveraged over $500 million in economic development and human service investments in the target areas.
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NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh recognizes and commends Operation Weed & Seed for their dedication and commitment to fight crime and making our city and the communities a safe place to live in.