PINE BLUFF, Ark — Reducing gang activity has been a top priority for law officials and community leaders in Pine Bluff, and after months of planning, they're launching their new program to address the issue.
In a room full of stakeholders and committee members Tuesday afternoon, program heads officially implemented their program thanks to a grant given by the federal government.
"To those who are currently looking to get to into a gang. You are now a target. You are now a target," said Jefferson County Sheriff, Lafayette Woods.
The Gang Reduction Initiative of Pine Bluff (G.R.I.P) focuses on suppression, intervention, and prevention for at-risk youth.
It's schools like Watson Chapel that are about to see an increase in officers as a part of the program's effort.
Watson Chapel already has metal detectors as a safety measure for the students, but the anti-gang program aims to add an extra sense of security.
"This is not a promise to eradicate it, but it's certainly a 100% promise to put 110% effort in what we're doing here to make sure we can minimize the threat to citizens in this room and abroad," said Woods.
Stacy Smith with the Department of Education said they work with Pine Bluff school districts and step foot on the the campuses each day.
"We can't wait for the federal government to decide that this grant needs to be approved. We need to get started. We need to get started," said Smith.
Judge Ernest E. Brown, Jr. collaborated alongside Woods in the earlier stages of program planning, before curating the various members of the committee.
"Everybody that we contacted all agreed to participate in this initiative and for the last 14 months we've been meeting via Zoom," said Brown.
A group of selected officers will undergo Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T).
The goal is to teach them to spot and stop destructive behaviors in teens, and help prevent the school-to-prison pipeline.
The program includes a deeper focus on boys, hoping to mentor them into future leaders.
"So we want to reach them where they are before they're housed in either my juvenile center or my adult jail. We want to reach them at an early age," said Sheriff Woods.
They're going to keep a strong grip on at-risk youth until they're not at-risk anymore.
"The implementation of G.R.I.P represents an opportunity to change the headlines and to rewrite the message that keeps playing out about our community, our school and our scholars," said Barbara Warren, superintendent of the Pine Bluff School District.