Justice Department Announces more than $376 Million in Awards to Promote Public Safety

NEWARK, N.J. – 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, including $4,561,569 to support public safety activities in the District of New Jersey. The awards were made by the Department’s Office of Justice Programs.

“These awards provide substantial resources to support important public safety initiatives sponsored by our state and local law enforcement partners,” U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito, District of New Jersey, said. “This kind of support from the Department of Justice encourages greater cooperation among federal, state and local law enforcement, as we work together to protect the people of New Jersey.”

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.

“Crime and violence hold families, friends and neighborhoods hostage, and they rip communities apart,” OJP Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan said. “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 following awards were made to organizations in the District of New Jersey:

Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant Program – Local Awards

•           Union County, $167,387

•           City of Passaic, $180,339

•           Asbury Park, $51,346

•           Mercer County, $131,756

•           Newark Police Department, $434,882

•           City of Camden, $208,291

•           Vineland, $82,671

•           Lakewood, $15,572

•           Atlantic City, $68,318

•           Perth Amboy, $86,689

Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant Program – State Award

•           New Jersey Division of Law & Public Safety, $3,817,827

BJA Intellectual Property Enforcement Program: Protecting Public Health, Safety, and the Economy from Counterfeit Goods and Product Piracy

•           Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, $350,345

BJA Implementing the Prison Rape Elimination Act Standards, Protecting Inmates, and Safeguarding Communities Program

•           New Jersey Dept. of Corrections, $246,146

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.