DENVER — City council members will consider a nearly $700,000 grant agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice to reduce violence in the city's most chronic violent crime hot spots.
The federal dollars would go toward expanding Place Network Investigations (PNI).
PNI investigators work in chronically-violent places and build cases against people who operate crime networks. They identify locations and groups connected to violence in the highest crime neighborhoods.
In 2022, Denver Police said its five crime hot spots made up nearly half of the shootings in the city.
Over a three year period, the Denver Police Department would identify new PNI sites, and train new investigative teams. The city is looking to integrate PNI as a department-wide violence reduction strategy.
The idea is that by getting rid of these networks the effort will help support the surrounding community. Part of this effort is to make sure the crime doesn't eventually come back.
DPD would partner with the National Policing Institute to evaluate the impact of PNI across the city. DPD and the Institute would then develop toolkits and guidance for law enforcement agencies interested in implementing a similar strategy.
Committee members on city council will review the grant agreement on Nov. 29.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Investigations & Crime
> Share your photos or video with 9NEWS through “Near Me” on the free 9NEWS app! DOWNLOAD APP FOR IPHONE HERE or DOWNLOAD APP FOR ANDROID HERE.