XENIA — The Board of Greene County Commissioners recently gave its authorization for the Greene County Sheriff’s Office to apply for a Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN) grant.

The Greene County Agencies for Combined Enforcement (A.C.E) Task Force wants to apply for the PSN grant through the Office of Criminal Justice Services (OCJS). The OCJS has opened this new grant to create safer neighborhoods by reducing gun violence and gun crimes and sustaining that reduction.

“The PSN grant is a U.S. Department of Justice grant that provides law enforcement funding to help target areas in communities that have high criminal activities,” said Captain Dennis Eng, Director, Greene County A.C.E. Task Force. “The grant funds overtime for the detectives on the task force and officers that assist from the different jurisdictions without placing the burden on the agencies’ budgets when they assist with task force operations. The grant also helps the task force conduct education and awareness presentations to the Greene County communities about gun violence and drugs.”

After grants are submitted, the waiting begins.

“This is our third time applying for this grant,” said Eng. “The grant covers the salaries of the director and operation supervisor and overtime for the detectives and officers who assist with operations. The 2022 PSN grant (requested amount $58,000 plus), was just submitted, and we will probably not know until several months. The 2021 PSN is still pending — we submitted that one last year and received approval sometime in June.”

The grant will be for one year starting Oct. 1, 2023.

Reach Karen Rase at 937-502-4534.