Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced a federal grant worth $9,771,691 for New York State from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program to assist local law enforcement in their efforts to reduce crime and improve the criminal justice system.
In April, Senator Gillibrand helped lead the effort in the Senate to protect funding for the Byrne JAG program to equip local communities with the resources they need to keep families safe.
“The Byrne JAG Grant Program is an important investment for our communities,” Senator Gillibrand said. “As law enforcement agencies across the state are facing budget cuts during these tough economic times, the funding from this program helps create and implement innovative ways to fight and prevent crime, keeping our communities safe. This program is a cornerstone in crime-fighting initiatives in our criminal justice system.”
The New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services will use the JAG award to improve the effectiveness of statewide enforcement and prosecution efforts against violent crime (including gun and drug trafficking, and gang violence), develop local capacity to adopt intelligence-led policing strategies based on real-time crime analysis, and maintain high quality criminal justice records and forensic laboratory services.
The Byrne JAG program is a partnership among federal, state, and local governments that tailors federal law enforcement grants to the needs of different communities. Grant funding supports a broad range of activities to prevent and control crime and improve the criminal justice system that include: law enforcement programs; prosecution and court programs; prevention and education programs; corrections and community corrections programs; drug treatment programs; and planning, evaluation, and technology improvement programs; and crime victim witness programs. From October 2008 through September 2011, states that received Byrne JAG Grants:
- Disrupted over 5,000 drug trafficking organizations
- Arrested 7,739 gang members on felony charges
- And from July 2010 to July 2011 seized 2.3 million pounds of drugs