Justice Department Announces More Than $376 Million in Awards to Promote Public Safety

NEW ORLEANS – The Department of Justice today 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. Over $813,000 will support public safety activities in the Eastern District of Louisiana. 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,” said OJP Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan. “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.”

The awards announced today 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.

“From our District’s eclectic and vibrant urban cityscapes to our quaint and rustic rural localities, we all in some capacity have been affected by violent crime and its secondary effects on our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser.  “The announcement of these awards highlights the commitment from the Department of Justice to afford our state and local partners the tools they need to enhance public safety and combat violent crime through programs that address an array of public safety initiatives.”

The following awards were made to organizations in the Eastern District of Louisiana:

• St Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office: $16,948 
• Bogalusa Police Department, City of Bogalusa: $11,227 
• Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office: $115,214  
• City of New Orleans: $297,837  
• Kenner Police Department, City of Kenner: $13,597 
• Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government: $12,017   
• St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office: $12,472
• Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office: $23,699 
• Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office: $310,496

TOTAL: $813,507 

Information about the programs and awards announced today is available 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.