KCII News spoke with U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley about the recently introduced Project Safe Neighborhoods Grant Program Authorization Act, which would reauthorize funding for the nationwide law enforcement program that was launched in 2001. “I think you know a neighborhood is very important for the safety of people if they know their neighborhood, and if it’s policed properly people feel safer and everything. And that’s what we’re trying to do through this legislation. What we’re doing is funding for Police Departments to crack down on violent crime in neighborhoods, so that they are safe. In other words the opposite of what you hear every weekend to the people being killed in Chicago, particularly in black neighborhoods.” Project Safe Neighborhoods is coordinated by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in the 94 federal judicial districts throughout the 50 states and U.S. territories. It is customized to account for local violent crime problems and resources.  Across all districts, PSN follows four key design elements of successful violent crime reduction initiatives: community engagement, prevention and intervention, focused and strategic enforcement, and accountability.