The Cranston Police Department received a major boost this week when they announced that they are on the receiving end of $245,995 in grant money from the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Program.

The grant will allow the department to purchase seven new police cruisers, but will bring with it another addition as well – the city’s first civilian worker.

“I believe it will broaden our range of service to the community in that this is the first time we’ve used a civilian to address the problem on a social level,” said Chief of Police, Col. Marco Palombo.

The problem at hand is Cranston’s growing gang population. Previously contained in Providence for the most part, gang violence has become more prevalent in the capital’s neighbor and is an issue Col. Palombo immediately identified as a priority in his new position.

“We’re extremely excited about this non-violence worker,” said Robin Muksian-Schutt, director of administration. “This is a new addition to the city and given the increase in gang violence we are seeing in the community, anything we can do to combat this problem is critical.”

The mayor’s office worked hand in hand with the police department, as well as Jerry Cordy, the deputy director of administration, who has been instrumental in securing grants and stimulus funds for the city. The justice assistance grant comes from the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, though the Edward Byrne program has been in existence for over 30 years.

Palombo said they began to pursue the funding early this summer, in a process that was initiated by the administration. Mayor Fung was quick to praise the police, however, for their oversight.

“The results of their efforts will mean better equipment for our police officers along with a civilian presence assisting us in the community with the sole effort of dealing with gang issues,” he said in a statement earlier this week.

The civilian worker, while closely tied to the mission of the police, is employed independently through the Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence, which is based in South Providence.

“Some of the staff we hire come from the streets, they know the streets and they work with young people to try to help them,” said the institute’s executive director, Teny Gross. “They work with high-risk youth and basically our goals are the same as the police in reducing violence.”

The fact that the workers have firsthand knowledge of the streets is an important asset, Muksian-Schutt said.

“Many of them are former gang members and they really provide a presence on the street that helps the police officers. We are all very impressed with the program,” she said.

Gross was in Virginia Tuesday to speak with officials there about the benefits of street workers, but quickly returned a call to share his confidence in the program. The institute trains street workers in many areas related to youth advocacy, including homicide support and juvenile re-entry. These workers identify at-risk youth and try to steer them away from gang activity.

“If you want to change your life, if you want opportunities we want to help you,” he said, noting that street workers are well versed in the resources available to low-income, at-risk young people in order to give them the break that might make the difference.

The public school system and organizations like the Boys and Girls Club can serve as important resources, he said, and civilian workers provide another layer to that.

“It provides another tool for the city,” he said.

Palombo has sat down with Gross to discuss how to tailor the program to Cranston. Though it will be on a smaller scale than the Providence operation, which employs more than a dozen civilian workers.

“If something heats up in Cranston we’ll be able to bring some of our Providence street workers in,” Gross said.

The hiring process will begin soon, with Gross leading the charge for finding Cranston’s representative. Palombo is just glad that the department is making a move toward prevention.

“Bringing an approach that addresses the problem socially really enhances our effectiveness,” he said. “Their mission is to get these men and women in the right direction. It’s a proactive approach.”

Gross added that by not depending on the police department for finding the civilian worker, the population served gets the best of both worlds – police to enforce the law and civilians to serve as mentors.

“If you produce pressure but you also produce opportunities, you give people a choice,” he said.

Going forward, Palombo said the force will utilize crime statistics before and at the end of the civilian worker’s tenure to see if there is a quantifiable drop in gang violence before they make the decision to find additional funding.

In terms of the new cruisers being added thanks to the grant money, the chief said the fleet maintenance department is doing an assessment now to determine which vehicles should stay and which should be put out of service.

Often, aging cruisers are transferred to officers doing details, while newer cruisers go to beat police officers.

“The mileage on a police car is not the same as mileage on a regular car,” Muksian-Schutt said. “It’s a lot of wear and tear.”

Palombo said the savings to be realized from repairs on the aging fleet is difficult to quantify, but the new cruisers will be an important enhancement to the department.

“They can’t get here soon enough,” he said.

The cruisers will be used for increased party patrols and DUI enforcement in particular, another goal for his tenure.