RICHMOND, Va. — Governor Ralph Northam on Thursday announced the award of $8.79 million in grants to support local enforcement agencies and community-based criminal justice programs.
The grants were approved by the Criminal Justice Services Board, the policy board for the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS).
The awards include $3,769,370 in federal funding from the Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant program. It helps fund a wide range of equipment needs and program support, like community-based gun violence prevention programs, trauma-informed care for local pretrial and probation officers and law enforcement officers, automated notification systems for court appearances, community policing, gang- and drug-related crime reduction, and youth engagement initiatives.
Two community-based gun violence prevention initiatives were awarded funding. The Roanoke Police Department received $75,543 to hire a Rapid Engagement of Support in the Event of Trauma (RESET) Coordinator for a city-wide initiative to inform residents about assistance, services, and resources available to community members following a homicide or other traumatic community event.
The Hampton Commonwealth’s Attorney, partnering with the John Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research, was also awarded $142,300 to implement The Violent Crime Review (VCR), which collects, analyzes, and interprets data on violent crime to identify patterns and root cause in order to develop recommendations to reduce violent crime in Hampton.
“Protecting communities across the Commonwealth and ensuring the safety of all Virginians requires a diverse group of partners, innovative and evidence-based strategies, and smart investments in a wide range of programs,” said Governor Northam. “These grants will provide critical resources to agencies, organizations, and law enforcement initiatives, and strengthen our ongoing efforts to prevent violent crime and address the challenges facing our criminal justice system.”
On top of that, four other organizations received a total of $719,230 in Comprehensive Opioid and Addiction Program (COAP) grant funds as part of an ongoing effort to combat the opioid epidemic in Virginia.
The remaining grant awards consisted of $446,931 for the Sexual Assault Services Program, $547,992 in Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Title II Formula grants, and $3,301,752 for the second year of STOP Violence Against Women grants.
Here's a full breakdown of where the funds went:
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