U.S. ATTORNEY KURT ALME ANNOUNCES $2.23 MILLION TO COMBAT VIOLENT CRIME IN MONTANA

BILLINGS – U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme today announced more than $2.23 million in Department of Justice grants to fight and prevent violent crime in the District of Montana. The grants, awarded by the Department’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP), are part of more than $458 million in funding to support state, local, and tribal law enforcement efforts to fight and prevent violent crime in jurisdictions across the United States.

“One of the fundamental missions of government is to protect its citizens and safeguard the rule of law,” said Attorney General William P. Barr. “The Department of Justice will continue to meet this critical responsibility by doing everything within its power to help our state, local and tribal law enforcement and criminal justice partners fight crime and deliver justice on behalf of all Americans.”

The funding announced today continues the Trump Administration’s commitment to reducing crime and improving public safety. In the two years before President Trump took office, America had experienced a precipitous rise in crime, particularly in serious violent crime. The President elevated community safety to the top of his domestic agenda and crime rates have fallen steadily since. Recent data from the FBI and the Bureau of Justice Statistics for 2019 show a drop in crime and serious victimization for the third year in a row. However, a number of cities are experiencing conspicuous countertrends. Today’s grants will bolster crime-fighting efforts in those communities and in jurisdictions throughout the United States.

“Violence has become a tragic reality in too many of America’s communities,” said OJP Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan. “Working with officials across the Trump Administration and with thousands of state, local and tribal crime-fighters across the country, the Department of Justice is leading the response to this urgent challenge. OJP is pleased to make these resources available to support innovative, tested and diverse solutions to violent crime.”

“In 2019, Montana saw an 8.1 percent increase in violent crime according to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports. These grants will help local, state and tribal law enforcement agencies combat it and protect our citizens and communities. I am pleased to announce these awards for Montana,” U.S. Attorney Alme said.

Of the more than $458 million awarded nationwide, OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance made 1,094 grants totaling more than $369 million to support a broad range of initiatives including efforts in enforcement, prosecution, adjudication, detention and rehabilitation.

OJP’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention awarded more than $10 million across 24 jurisdictions to intervene in and suppress youth gang activity as well as $1 million to the Institute for Intergovernmental Research to continue operating the National Gang Center. OJP’s National Institute of Justice awarded $7.3 million to fund research and evaluation on the prevention and reduction of violent crime. OJP’s Bureau of Justice Statistics provided more than $69 million to strengthen the quality and accessibility of records within the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.

The following Montana organizations received funding:

• BJA Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant, local and tribal: $344,743
  • Cascade County/Great Falls, $31,610
  • Lewis and Clark County, $12,446
  • Helena, $26,658
  • Missoula County, $12,403
  • Missoula, $46,037
  • Yellowstone County, $13,135
  • Billings, $71,102
  • Blackfeet Tribe, $15,461
  • Bozeman, $16,839
  • Butte-Silver Bow City and County, $18,949
  • Chippewa-Cree Tribe, $11,499
  • Flathead County, $24,720
  • Gallatin County, $11,456
  • Lake County, $11,585
  • Kalispell, $10,120
  • Roosevelt County, $10,723
• BJA Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant, state, Montana, $877,225
• BJA Project Neighborhoods: Montana, $92,945
• Project Guardian, Yellowstone County, $216,755
• National Criminal History Improvement Program, Montana Department of Corrections, Montana Board of Crime Control, $700,000

      For a complete list of individual grant programs, award amounts, and jurisdictions that will receive funding, click here. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.

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