CoatesvilleHappenings.org

During the fall of 2003, the City of Coatesville applied for Official Recognition for the Federal Weed and Seed program to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) through the Community Capacity Development Office (CCDO). The CCDO provides an exhaustive set of Weed and Seed resources on the CCDO Publications page.

In recognition of its rapid progress in reducing crime, increasing community awareness and participation in crime prevention, and mostly, its successful city-wide revitalization efforts, The City of Coatesville received Official Recognition from the U.S. Department of Justice and was designated as a Federal Weed and Seed site on March 8, 2004. U.S. Attorney Patrick Meehan, Congressman Jim Gerlach, Representative Tim Hennessey, and Chester County District Attorney, Joe Carroll, announced the designation at a joint meeting with City officials at Coatesville City Hall. Weed and Seed, a U.S. Department of Justice community-based initiative, is an innovative and comprehensive multi-agency approach to law enforcement, crime prevention, and community revitalization. (Directory to all Federal Weed and Seed sites.)

Even though hundreds of communities across the country have applied, Coatesville was included in a small percentage of sites that received Official Federal Designation during 2004. As with the Pennsylvania Weed and Seed Program, the Federal program provides provisions for activities in the four Weed and Seed emphasis areas which are law enforcement, community policing, neighborhood restoration and drug prevention, intervention and treatment that involves the community which is a pivotal partner in the Weed and Seed strategy. The City of Coatesville is in the final year of eligible for continuing funding ending in June 2010. The Steering Committee will continue to apply for competitive funds which will help the City to empower community residents to restore their neighborhoods and become more involved in community policing efforts beyond the original funding designation time period.

Under both the Pennsylvania and Federal programs, the City of Coatesville will always remain a Weed and Seed site and will continue to receive technical assistance from the State and Federal Weed and Seed programs.