Washington, D.C. - Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) announced today that the Northwest Park Oakview community of Silver Spring has been selected as an Officially Recognized Weed and Seed by the Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs’ Community Capacity Development Office.
"This is good news for Silver Spring,” said Van Hollen. “This collaboration between federal, state and local agencies will strengthen our community and improve safety in this neighborhood."
Official Recognition (OR) is the first step in the Weed and Seed grant process and means that a fully-detailed community crime prevention and restoration strategy has been through an intensive review process. OR status provides communities preference in receiving discretionary resources from participating federal agencies; priority for participating in federally-sponsored training and assistance; eligibility to apply for Weed and Seed funds; and use of the official Weed and Seed logo.
The Weed and Seed approach to weeding out violent crime and gang activity while seeding the community with social services and economic revitalization emphasizes four principles: aggressive law enforcement strategies; community policing; the provision of crime prevention, intervention, and treatment services; and neighborhood restoration and revitalization activities. The strategy must focus on a process that identifies selected issues, resources, community problems and needs, action steps with practical results, and innovative approaches to problem solving.