U.S. Department Of Justice Awards Grant Funds To Lackawanna County District Attorney’s Office

HARRISBURG – U.S. Attorney David J. Freed joined District Attorney Mark Powell today in announcing $900,000 in grant funding by the U.S. Department of Justice to the Lackawanna County District Attorney’s Office to facilitate the Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Site-based Program.

The award of $900,000 includes funds to support the Lackawanna County District Attorney’s Office to facilitate a Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Site-based Program (COAP), which aims to reduce opioid abuse and the number of overdose fatalities, as well as to mitigate the impacts on crime victims by supporting comprehensive, collaborative initiatives.

In 2016 the United States Congress, in recognition of the nationwide scope of the Heroin and Opioid Crisis, passed the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act – sweeping bipartisan legislation to fund everything from primary prevention efforts to access to recovery services to medication assisted treatment,” said U.S. Attorney Freed.  “Today’s grant funds a project under the Comprehensive Opioid Site-based Program which is designed to take into account unique local circumstances while taking advantage of already existing partnerships.  While strong anti-drug enforcement and public protection will always be an important part of our mission, we understand that prevention, treatment and harm reduction are essential to reducing overdoses and saving lives.  We are proud to partner with our colleagues in Lackawanna County under the leadership of District Attorney Mark Powell and Judge Michael Barrasse.”

“This grant will enable us to establish a multi-agency Overdose Death Review Team, under the auspices of the District Attorney’s Office, to provide a thorough and comprehensive analysis of each and every overdose death in Lackawanna County,” said District Attorney Mark Powell. “It will enable us to prevent more overdoses and save more lives by taking an evidence-based approach to allocating our resources where they will be most effective.”

The awards were made by the three grant-making components of the Department of Justice – Office on Violence Against Women, the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, and the Office of Justice Programs.

About the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services:

The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1994, the COPS Office has invested more than $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 130,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training and technical assistance. For additional information about the COPS Office, please visit www.cops.usdoj.gov.

About the Office of Justice Programs:

The Office of Justice Programs, directed by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan, provides federal leadership, grants, training, 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 justice system. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.

About the Office on Violence Against Women:

The Office on Violence Against Women provides leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to reduce violence through the implementation of the Violence Against Women Act and subsequent legislation. Created in 1995, OVW administers financial and technical assistance to communities across the country that are developing programs, policies and practices aimed at ending domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking. In addition to overseeing federal grant programs, OVW undertakes initiatives in response to special needs identified by communities facing acute challenges. Learn more at www.justice.gov/ovw.

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