Community Care Services Inc. has joined with the police departments of Attleboro, Taunton and Norton to help prevent youth involvement with gangs, violence and juvenile crime.

Dubbed the PEACE (Positive Empowerment Activities for Community Enhancement) Initiative, this collaboration was awarded $120,000 through the Sen. Charles E. Shannon Jr. Community Safety Initiative Competitive Grant Program.

The PEACE Initiative Steering Committee members are: Police Chief Raymond Oberg, Taunton; Sgt. Kevin Medas, community police supervisor, Taunton police; Sgt. Matthew J. McCaffrey, Taunton police; Lt. Scott W. Killough, Attleboro police; Police Chief Brian M. Clark, Norton; Sgt. J. Jacob Dennett, Norton police; Robert L. Cammarata, director of Human services and the Safe Neighborhood Initiative administrator, city of Taunton; and Jennifer Bastille, City of Taunton Safe Neighborhood Initiative program adviser.

Deborah Smusz, Community Care Services' vice president for education services, serves as the program director for the PEACE Initiative.

The PEACE Initiative offers an opportunity for participating communities to provide an array of services and activities, from helping to fund after-school programs, community outreach workers, violence prevention resources for schools and support for police departments to attend regional meetings. Each police department has established its priorities.

The initial focus will be to bring to communities an awareness of the PEACE Initiative and provide the community opportunities for input.