Allocations For 2009 Byrne Justice Assistance Grants Announced

5-27-2009 National:

WASHINGTON, May 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Department of Justice today announced Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 allocations for state and local law enforcement assistance available through the 2009 Omnibus. Funding will be provided through the Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program which is administered by the Office of Justice Programs' (OJP) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). JAG allocation amounts for states, territories, and units of local government can be viewed HERE.


The FY 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act includes more than $2 billion to assist state, local and tribal law enforcement and for other criminal justice activities that prevent and control crime and improve the criminal justice system in the United States. Specifically, $546 million was appropriated for the JAG Program and is in addition to the funding provided by the Recovery Act. Solicitations for applications may be found at: HERE -and- HERE Deadline for states to apply is June 25, 2009 and the local application deadline is July 9, 2009.

The JAG Program supports a variety of efforts such as multijurisdictional drug and gang task forces; equipment needs; crime prevention and domestic violence programs; and courts, corrections, treatment, and justice information sharing initiatives. The procedure for allocating JAG grants is based on a formula of population and crime statistics, in combination with a minimum allocation to ensure that each state and territory receives an appropriate share of funding. Sixty percent of the allocation is awarded directly to a state and 40 percent is set aside for local governments. Funding will be used by states and more than 5,000 local communities to enhance their ability to protect communities and combat crime.

The Office of Justice Programs, headed by Acting Assistant Attorney General Laurie O. Robinson, provides federal leadership in developing the nation's capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice, and assist victims. OJP has five component bureaus: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; and the Office for Victims of Crime. Additionally, OJP has two program offices: the Community Capacity Development Office, which incorporates the Weed and Seed strategy, and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART). More information can be found at http://www.ojp.gov. ..News Source.. by DOJ