Lynn
The following provides a general overview of the 2009 Lynn CSI effort (as described in their application for grant funds).PROBLEM:
Presence of gang and gang violence increasing over the past several years (30 active gangs with an estimated membership of 850).
Continued gang activity in and around schools.
Controlling gang retaliation after an incident occurs.
Lynn police department will:
1. Use Shannon CSI funds to support overtime for extra patrols, investigation time, and education awareness programs at the public schools.
2. Continue regional meetings and trainings with neighboring police departments.
1. Continue and build upon the Straight Ahead Ministries Ready 4 Work program that works with youth ages 14-21 leaving places of detention to provide case management, education, employment assistance, and mentoring.
2. Continue staffing the teen drop-in center at Lynn Vocational High School.
3. Continue the summer jobs program collaborative with youth being referred to the Lynn Housing and Neighborhood Development by the Lynn PD.
4. Increase resources for Essex County Community Organization which targets the highest risk youth, including “wanna-be’s”. Extra resources will add a street outreach worker and implement a pilot program in a middle school to reach high-risk youth where there are indications of gang recruitment.
5. Add a new program to work with middle school and high school youth to prepare them for higher education. Youth would be referred to by agencies working with gang-involved youth.
Experienced a decrease in the number of gang related incidents (with the exception of assaults with firearms).
Lynn governmental agencies (PD, DPW, School) have teamed up to provide a teen drop-in center at the Lynn Vocational High School on Friday/Saturday evenings that has been attended by 1,020 youth without a single act of violence.
15 gang youth were provided summer jobs.
Collaboration within the city has increased and become more proactive in reaching gang youth.
Street outreach workers were able to build relationships with gang youth and mediate gang disputes.