Governor Polis and Colorado Division of Criminal Justice Announce Grant Opportunity to Create Safer Streets, Locally

DENVER  – Today, Governor Polis and the Colorado Division of Criminal Justice within the Colorado Department of Public Safety highlighted that the Crime Prevention through Safer Streets Grant Program is accepting applications through October 19th. The Crime Prevention through Safer Streets Grant program will support local governments and agencies in creating effective public safety changes through community-driven strategies and neighborhood design. 

“Successful Crime prevention needs local action, and the state is here to help make our communities safer; one community’s issues could be very different from another. By providing more resources to implement locally-driven, evidence-based strategies we are empowering local governments to deliver effective change for their community,” said Gov. Polis. “Stopping crime and creating safer streets is a top priority of my administration and I am working to make Colorado one of the safest states in the nation and build a safer Colorado for generations to come.”

The Crime Prevention through Safer Streets Grant Program will make $10.1 million available for local governments and community partner's to receive funding for physical safety improvements to deter crime in specific areas of their communities. Eligible projects will address environmental or infrastructure concerns that will improve community design, discourage crime, and create safer streets. By allowing local governments and nonprofits to implement place-specific initiatives, strategies can better account for cultural, economic and geographical factors within each community. 

Governor Polis signed SB22-001 Crime Prevention Through Safer Streets, creating this program, which was sponsored by Senators Janet Buckner of Aurora and Nick Hinrichsen of Pueblo and Reps. Naquetta Ricks of Aurora and Kerry Tipper of Denver. The program is part of a comprehensive public safety package to make Colorado one of the safest states in the nation. The public safety plan provides transformative funding to expand resources to target community investment, public safety workforce shortages, and youth crime prevention programs. This summer, Governor Polis signed legislation to create multiple new grant programs which allocated funds for programs that support these goals. 

For more information about The Crime Prevention through Safer Streets Grant program and to apply online, visit https://dcj.colorado.gov/crime-prevention-grant-programs 

###