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Weed and Seed is a community-based, multi-agency approach to law enforcement, crime prevention, and community revitalization. Weed and Seed is sponsored by the United States Department of Justice and is overseen by the Community Capacity Development Office.
Weed and Seed is foremost a strategy that aims to prevent, control, and reduce violent crime, drug abuse, and gang activity in designated high-crime neighborhoods. 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" desperately needed human services, including prevention, intervention, treatment, and neighborhood restoration programs.
Joint task forces of law enforcement agencies from all levels of government aim to reduce both crime and fear of crime, which gives hope back to residents living in distressed neighborhoods. These task forces engage the community and aid in problem solving, fostering a sense of responsibility within the community for solving crime problems and helping to develop cooperation between themselves and the residents.
Every Weed and Seed site is required to establish a Safe Haven, which is a multi-service center housed in a school or community center. Here, services are delivered for residents of all ages. Neighborhood restoration strategies like these focus on economic development, employment opportunities for residents, and improvements to the physical environment of the neighborhood.
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