Justice Department announces more than $376 million in awards to promote public safety

ATLANTA - The Department of Justice announced that 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. $719,733 will support public safety activities in the Northern District of Georgia.  The awards were made by the Department’s Office of Justice Programs.

“The grants will be used to address violent crime problems each of those jurisdictions is facing,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “In Cobb County, District Attorney Joyette Holmes will enhance services to victims of adult sexual assaults, by providing specialized assistance to victims and by conducting research regarding recidivism.  In Rockdale County, District Attorney Alisha Johnson will implement the Rockdale County Comprehensive Homicide Initiative to address the increasing numbers of homicides occurring in the county in a collaborative manner.  Both initiatives will greatly benefit the citizens of the counties, and serve as models for other prosecution offices.”   

“Crime and violence hold families, friends and neighborhoods hostage. They also rip those communities apart,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan for the Office of Justice Programs. “These programs simultaneously play a role in mending communities through preventing crime, apprehending and prosecuting perpetrators, facilitating appropriate sentencing and adjudication, and restoring communities and their residents.”

These awards support an array of crime-fighting 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.

Two organizations in the Northern District of Georgia were awarded under the BJA Innovative Prosecution Solutions for Combatting Violent Crime Program.  The program provides state, local and tribal prosecutors with information, resources, training, and technical assistance to develop effective strategies as well as programs to address and prosecute individuals who commit violent crime.

• Cobb County, Georgia                                               $359,733
• Rockdale County, Georgia                                         $360,000

Information about the programs and awards announced is available here: Public Safety Fact Sheet here.  For more information about OJP awards, visit the OJP Awards Data webpage.

The Office of Justice Programs, directed by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan, provides federal leadership, grants, training and technical assistance, and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, assist victims and enhance the rule of law by strengthening the criminal and juvenile justice systems. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.