Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN)

The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office is fully dedicated and committed to reducing youth gang violence and delinquency in our communities. To be successful in this regard, the District Attorney’s Office recognizes that our anti-gang efforts must employ a multi-faceted approach that extends well beyond necessary and important traditional suppression strategies.

Schedule of
Presentations

Therefore in 2005, the District Attorney’s Office created the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program. PSN is a prevention and intervention program that focuses on three key strategies: Education, Collaboration, and Community Outreach.

Regarding Education, PSN operates under the very importance premise that youth gang participation is preventable and correctable. However, the community needs to be empowered with the knowledge and skills necessary to accomplish this. Accordingly, PSN provides three important gang awareness presentations.

1. Gang Awareness and Prevention Presentations for Youth
   Many parents and educators relate that youth do not really understand and appreciate the full extent of what they are getting into when they join a gang. Therefore, this powerful presentation teaches youth about the harsh and painful realities of gang involvement versus the falsely glorified and idealized version promulgated by the entertainment industry and accepted by popular culture. Youth are also taught about the severe legal penalties associated with gang arrests and prosecutions, and they are motivated and encouraged to attain academic and career success. Furthermore, youth hear from former hard core gang members that honestly and vividly relate why youth should definitely stay clear from gang and prison life.
2. Gang Awareness and Prevention Training for Parents
   This presentation provides parents many of the important elements stated above as well as why youth get involved in gangs, the warning signs, how to construct healthy and positive relationships with their children, how to deal with defiant and rebellious children, and what parents need to know and do to keep their children out of gangs, drugs, and delinquency. This presentation is the one most requested, and it is not uncommon for attendees to comment that this presentation will forever change their family dynamics.
3. Gang Awareness Training for Educators
   Offered on a much more limited basis because the PSN focus is on families and youth, this presentation provides school staff with gang training on a variety of topics such as territories, signs, clothing, paraphernalia, recent trends, safety tips, documentation and collaboration with local gang task force officers.

Coordinator: The Coordinator for Project Safe Neighborhoods is Senior Deputy District Attorney Gerry Lopez. Mr. Lopez is a seasoned Community Prosecutor and District Attorney community liaison specializing in youth intervention services. To contact DDA Gerry Lopez or to schedule a presentation, please call (951) 358-4140