Justice Department awards $376 million in grants

NEWYORK >> The Department of Justice announced it has awarded more than $376 million in grant funding to enhance state, local and tribal law enforcement operations and reinforce public safety efforts in jurisdictions across the United States.

Over $1.1 million will support public safety activities in the Northern District of New York. The awards were made by the Department’s Office of Justice Programs.

“Crime and violence hold families, friends and neighborhoods hostage, and they rip communities apart ,” OJP Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan said in a news release.

“These programs help restore the health and safety of crime-ravaged communities by supporting

prevention activities, aiding in the apprehension and prosecution of perpetrators, facilitating appropriate sentencing and adjudication, and providing communities and their residents the means for recovery and healing,” Sullivan added.

The awards announced support an array of crimefighting initiatives, including the quarter-billion-dollar Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grants Program, which funds public safety efforts in 929 state, local and tribal jurisdictions.

Funding also supports sex offender registration and notification, law enforcement-based victim services, the testing of sexual assault kits, and programs designed to address youth with sexual behavioral problems. Other awards will focus on wrongful convictions, intellectual property enforcement, innovative prosecution strategies and the safety and effectiveness of corrections systems.

“These Department of Justice grant awards demonstrate our commitment to support our state and local partners in their efforts to investigate and prosecute criminals, assist victims and witnesses, prevent crime, and address drug addiction and the opioids epidemic,” United States Attorney for the Northern District of New York Grant C. Jaquith said in the release.

The following awards were made to organizations in the Northern District of New York:

• City of Syracuse andthe Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office: $100,628 ($50,314 each)

• City of Binghamton Police: $27,158

• City of Watertown Police: $12,347

• City of Troy Police: $30,231

• City of Albany: $66,741

• City and County of Schenectady: $42,604

• City of Utica and Oneida County: $28,403

• Cayuga Counseling Services in Cayuga County: $475,000

Under the BJA Innovative Prosecution Solutions for Combating Violent Crime Program:

• County of Onondaga, District Attorney’s Office: $360,000