Violent Crime, Drug Abuse and Gang Activity Prevention, Control and Reduction

Weed and Seed, a community-based strategy sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice, is an innovative, comprehensive multiagency approach to law enforcement, crime prevention, and community revitalization.

Weed and Seed is foremost a strategy – rather than a grant program – that aims to prevent, control, and reduce violent crime, drug abuse, and gang activity in designated high crime neighborhoods across the country.

The strategy involves a two-pronged approach:

• law enforcement agencies and prosecutors cooperate in "weeding out" violent criminals and drug abusers and
• public agencies and community-based private organizations collaborate to "seed" much-needed human services, including prevention, intervention, treatment, and neighborhood restoration programs.

A community-oriented policing component bridges the weeding and seeding elements.

The Weed and Seed strategy is a multilevel strategic plan that includes four basic components:

• law enforcement;
• community policing;
• prevention, intervention, and treatment; and
• neighborhood restoration.

Four fundamental principles underlie the Weed and Seed strategy:

• collaboration,
• coordination,
• community participation, and
• leveraging of resources.

Read: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ccdo/ws/welcome.html