U.S. Attorney’s Office for The Eastern District of Louisiana Granted Funding for Public Safety Investments

NEW ORLEANS,LA – Today, the Department of Justice announced  several new commitments as part of its Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime. Instituted by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in May 2021, the strategy harnesses  federal resources, intelligence, and expertise as a force-multiplier along with state, local, and Tribal law enforcement.   

Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco and Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta highlighted the more than $334 million in critical grant funding awarded today to law enforcement agencies and stakeholders  by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office).The COPS grants  include funding for law enforcement agencies to hire more than 1,730 new law enforcement officers across the country, along with critical funding for  school safety and  the advancement of community policing nationwide  

Through this grant funding, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana (EDLA) is pleased to announce that the Department of Justice’s  COPS Office awarded $9,418,156 to EDLA to combat violent crime and maintain public safety. 

Awards include:                                                 

“Law enforcement officers across the country are showing up every day to protect their communities in the face of unprecedented challenges,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “These grants, which support the hiring of more than 1700 new officers and make critical investments in school safety and crisis intervention efforts, will help provide local law enforcement agencies with the resources they need to keep their communities safe, support officers, and build public trust.” 

“In the Eastern District of Louisiana, communities continue, in some capacity, to be affected by violent crime and its collateral consequences, ” said U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.  “The awards reflect DOJ’s commitment to support effective law enforcement and to also encourage taking preventative measures to reduce illegal drug trafficking and drug addiction.”  “The Department of Justice will provide our state and local partners with the necessary tools to enhance public safety and combat violent crime through its public safety initiatives.”

The Department has also named the five new cities to join the more than 50 jurisdictions currently part of the Office of Justice Program’s (OJP) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) National Public Safety Partnership (PSP), which has a proven track record of helping partner sites reduce crime, improve homicide clearance rates, and enhance the quality of life for community members. The 2024 PSP sites are: Knoxville, Tennessee; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Raleigh, North Carolina; San Antonio, Texas; and Vallejo, California.   

Lastly, the Deputy Attorney General and Associate Attorney General announced that this December 11-13, in Indianapolis, the Justice Department’s will bring together 1,500 local and federal partners from across the country, including representatives from the more than 50 PSP jurisdictions and from Project Safe Neighborhoods for a Violent Crime Reduction Summit, to be hosted by OJP BJA. 

Complete lists of all program award recipients, including funding amounts, can be found here.   

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