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law enforcement and the community together to address crime problems proactively and cooperatively. The unit also includes an investigator and legal clerk who work closely with the project deputy for casework and interagency and community activities. Conversion of these grant funded positions will ensure that the direct ]ink between the criminal justice system and the community is continued to further develop safe and strong communities. Community Gun Violence Prosecution Program The goal of the Community Gun Violence Prosecution program is to deter crime and positively affect the community's perception of safety by prosecuting firearm related crimes in a rapid, responsive and effective manner. The primary objectives of the program are to develop and implement an intake process to expedite screening and charging of violent crimes involving guns and to employ a vertical prosecution strategy. Two deputy prosecutors are funded by the project and are supported by two other deputies who have been cross designated as special assistant U.S. Attorneys as part of the Project Safe Neighborhood Community Gun Violence program. We have worked cooperatively with the U.S. Attorney's Office to identify dangerous defendants in our community who represent a significant risk to the community and who are now being prosecuted in the Federal system under the Project Safe Neighborhood program. The majority of these defendants would qualify as career criminal defendants under the current statutory criteria. Many of these defendants who are drug users or commit domestic violence with firearms have now been removed from the community. Drug Prosecution Unit Federal funding for the Mayor's War on Ice has provided our office with two deputy prosecuting attorneys. Their work has concentrated on individuals and organizations distributing large quantities of ice and other drugs. In the two year funding cycle of the project, the impact of their work on criminality, rehabilitation, drug treatment and social and health indicators will not be evident. In fact, as focus on the issue heightcns,these measures generally increase before they decrease. We anticipate the eventual need for two legal clerk lII positions to provide legal clerical support and an investigator to support these deputies as cases move through the judicial process. The full measure and impact of the unit will not be known for at least five to ten years, well beyond the federal funding cycle. Continued funding of the program in all aspect, of treatment/prevention, intervention and law enforcement must be obtained to successfully impact the Ice problem for Hawaii County. VICTIM/WITNESS ASSISTANCE UNIT fVAU) The State established victim-witness assistance programs in the Department of the Attorney General to be implemented by the County prosecutors under HRS 28-1 11 "to to