Justice Department Announces More Than $376 Million in Awards to Promote Public Safety

Kelly Thornton (619) 546-9726 or Kelly.Thornton@usdoj.gov    

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – December 3, 2019

SAN DIEGO – The Department of Justice announced today 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 $728,459 to support public safety activities in the Southern District of California. The awards were made by the Department’s Office of Justice Programs.

“Crime and violence hold families, friends and neighborhoods hostage, and they rip communities apart,” said OJP Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan. “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 awards 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.

“These funds will bolster our crime-fighting efforts in San Diego and Imperial counties,” said U.S. Attorney Robert Brewer of the Southern District of California. “The program supports a broad range of state and local criminal justice initiatives and reduces existing gaps in service that impact violent crime, crime victims, enforcement, prosecution, adjudication, detention, and rehabilitation.”

The following awards were made to organizations in the Southern District of California:

City of San Diego                   $473,241

City of La Mesa                          12,953

City of Carlsbad                          14,710

City of El Cajon                          27,733

City of Oceanside                       47,666

City of Escondido                       38,882

City of El Centro                        12,976

City of Vista                              25,414

City of Chula Vista                     51,742

City of Lemon Grove                  11,032

County of Imperial                      12,110

TOTAL                                   $728,459

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.

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