Justice Department Awards Over $5.1 Million in Grants to State of Louisiana

U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. announced that the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance has awarded $5,186,242 collectively to the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement, the Louisiana District Attorney’s Association, the Judiciary Courts of the State of Louisiana, the Louisiana Department of Justice, and the Louisiana Department Public Safety and Corrections. 

Grantees will use funds to:

• provide digital evidence training supplemented with equipment to substantially upgrade the skills of Louisiana prosecutors, whose limited resources compound challenges with digital evidence;
• support adult reentry education, employment, treatment and recovery programs;
• improve the quality and timeliness of forensic science and medical examiner services, eliminating or reducing the backlog of analysis of forensic science evidence, and training;
• provide training and technical assistance to affiliate agencies and supporting Louisiana Department of Justice investigator positions to conduct proactive and reactive investigations of technology-facilitated crimes against children; and
• invest in a local technical and training assistance pilot to promote sustainable evidence-based practices and a broad strategy to align probation and parole specialized caseloads with treatment courts, beginning with mental health and veteran treatment courts.