At BJA we understand that law enforcement officers are our first line of defense against crime—both to prevent crime and to address crimes that have occurred. To help these officers, we must develop programs or initiatives to provide for the best use of limited resources and support collaborative efforts between law enforcement officers and the communities in which they serve.

Project Safe Neighborhoods

BJA continued to serve as an active partner in Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a nationwide commitment to reduce gun crime in America. The effectiveness of PSN is based on the ability of local, state, and federal agencies to cooperate in a unified effort led by the U.S. Attorney (USA) in each of the 94 federal judicial districts across the United States.

FY 2002 PSN funding was divided into four separate grant programs. Two of these programs provided support to PSN task forces in each of the 94 USA districts. A selection committee for each PSN task force selected a recipient to receive up to $170,000 in funding for 2 years under the Media Outreach and Community Engagement Program, which seeks to (1) aggressively promote the message that all firearm-related violent crime will be met with strict enforcement and swift and certain punishment; (2) encourage citizens to work with local, state, and federal law enforcement to address firearm-related violent crime within their jurisdictions; and (3) promote gun safety at the local level.

Under the Reducing Community Gun Violence Competitive Solicitation, units of state and local government were invited to apply for up to $250,000 for up to 2 years to fund locally crafted, innovative responses to gun violence.

Also in FY 2002, $20 million was appropriated for Project Sentry, which provides resources for state and local juvenile justice prosecutors to increase their ability to focus on gun crimes committed by juveniles. Through this program, 36 counties were awarded from $200,000 to $1 million, depending on the population of the county.

The final PSN component created in FY 2002 was Project ChildSafe. Congress appropriated $50 million for this safety education program to raise gun-owner awareness of the need to safely store firearms, with the hope of reducing accidental death and injury in the home caused by unauthorized use of firearms, particularly by children or teenagers. Under Project ChildSafe, the National Shooting Sports Foundation will distribute 20 million safety kits in its first year in partnership with local law enforcement agencies in communities across the country.

In addition to these programs, BJA; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms;² and the Department of Justice’s PSN partners—the National District Attorneys’ Association, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and the National Crime Prevention Council—have offered a series of comprehensive training programs across the nation. More than 10,000 people participated in these training programs in FY 2002.

PSN held its second national conference in January 2003 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Assistant Attorney General Deborah J. Daniels opened the conference by describing the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) initiatives that support PSN’s efforts throughout the country. The training included an address by Attorney General John Ashcroft, who reported on how PSN is doing in fighting gun crime in America. More than 1,300 people attended the conference, including former BJA Director Richard R. Nedelkoff and the nation’s leading criminal justice and crime prevention experts in the area of gun violence and community safety.

See BJA Funding in Focus: Project Safe Neighborhoods Task Force: A Local Approach

Edward Byrne Memorial State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance Program

As a result of various laws passed by Congress, the Byrne Formula Grant Program requires that grantees meet the requirements of several statutes, including the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act and the Campus Sex Crimes Prevention Act to receive full funding. In FY 2002, more than 90 percent of the states and territories receiving Byrne Formula Grant Program funding were in compliance with the original Jacob Wetterling Act and its subsequent amendments. Of the $500 million appropriated for the Byrne Formula Grant Program in FY 2002, $2.2 million was forfeited by those states and territories that were not in compliance with all of the requirements.

To help the State Administering Agency (SAA) directors more easily administer the Byrne Formula Grant Program, BJA began streamlining and simplifying our operating practices regarding requirements to have an annual strategy, state annual report, and evaluation component. This new guidance was posted on BJA’s web site as part of the process of developing resources to assist the states.

Under the Byrne Formula Grant Program, in FY 2002 the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) received a subgrant of nearly $149,000. The project supports 21 staff members who handle such operations as computer examination, central operations, and telephone intercepts. They have the computer capability to interpret information from a criminal’s hard drive and to conduct a wire intercept. In the past year alone, SLED has handled 3,500 pieces of evidence pertaining to computer or Internet crimes. SLED collaborates with many organizations, including the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the U.S. Secret Service, the FBI, counter-terrorism and intelligence organizations, and state law enforcement agencies in its crime mapping and intervention activities.

Nearly half of the money the Byrne Program awarded to the state of Utah in FY 2002 ($2 million out of $4.5 million) was used to support the state’s 16 multijurisdictional drug task forces. These task forces provide drug interdiction and public safety services to nearly every citizen and jurisdiction in the state. Some units concentrate on street-level drug enforcement, while others concentrate on mid- to high-level drug enforcement. In recent years, methamphetamine has been the most popular and prevalent drug in the state. As a result, Utah revised its Byrne Drug Task Force tracking reports to track enforcement activity regarding methamphetamine and precursor chemicals.

In all, Utah’s task forces arrested more than 3,000 people in FY 2002 for the cultivation, distribution, or possession of drugs. The task forces also made 216 drug-related seizures worth an estimated $2.1 million. In addition, 227 methamphetamine labs were located and/or dismantled, 4,437 cases or investigations were initiated, and 452 search warrants were served.

State and Local Emergency Preparedness Program

• Maryland. Baltimore/Washington International Airport (for bomb and canine teams), Prince George’s County (for disaster preparedness), and Montgomery County (for major incident preparedness). In addition, the Maryland State Police received an award for five operational upgrades.

• New Jersey. New Jersey State Police, Jersey City Police, Newark Police Department, and the City of Newark (for communication system upgrades).

• New York. New York City (for counter-terrorism preparedness training and equipment and security enhancements) and New York State (for telecommunications and computers).

• Pennsylvania. Armstrong County, Cambria County, Fayette County, Indiana County, Somerset County, and Westmoreland County (for major incident preparedness).

• Virginia. Fairfax County (for counter-terrorism preparedness training and equipment and security and communication system upgrades), City of Alexandria (for major incident preparedness), City of Fairfax (for counter-terrorism preparedness training and equipment and communication system upgrades), City of Falls Church (for communication system upgrades), Loudoun County (for counter-terrorism preparedness training, vehicles, and computer upgrades), City of Manassas (for counter-terrorism preparedness training, equipment, and computer upgrades), City of Manassas Park (for purchase of a fire truck), Virginia State Police (for tactical and disaster-recovery equipment, supplies, and computers), Arlington County (for communication system upgrades, tactical and disaster-recovery equipment, and computers), and Prince William County (for counter-terrorism preparedness training, equipment, and communication system upgrades).

Local Law Enforcement Block Grant

BJA first awarded grants for the Local Law Enforcement Block Grant (LLEBG) Program in 1996 to units of local government to underwrite projects that reduced crime and improved public safety. From the onset, the LLEBG Program has emphasized local decisionmaking and encouraged communities to craft their own responses to local crime and drug problems.

Many cities and counties have reexamined their public safety budgets and redirected resources to support unanticipated counter-terrorism efforts. For many of these local jurisdictions, LLEBG was a source for resources that could be quickly and simply refocused to meet shifting priorities.

In FY 2002, nearly 3,100 jurisdictions received LLEBG funding, totaling more than $330 million. Of those jurisdictions that received funding, 26 percent reported that a portion of their grant would support domestic preparedness and counter-terrorism efforts. Also, 161 jurisdictions planned to use funding (a total of $18.4 million) to hire new law enforcement officers.

To better serve grantees, BJA also continued to refine the LLEBG grant management system, an Internet-based method of receiving LLEBG grantee applications. Such refinements enabled BJA to award funds to all eligible jurisdictions in record time. In addition, BJA posted the details of all the planned expenditures for LLEBG grantees on the BJA web site. In this way, neighboring jurisdictions and State Administering Agencies are now able to see how jurisdictions intend to use their LLEBG funds.

See BJA Funding in Focus: State and Local Emergency Preparedness Grant: Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania

Bulletproof Vest Partnership Program

Unfortunately each year, more than 100 law enforcement officers are killed by gunfire in the line of duty. This use of guns, coupled with the increased use of larger caliber handguns and assault rifles, has created an even greater risk for law enforcement officers and an increasing need for higher threat level, better quality, and more comfortable protection vests that can be worn in a variety of circumstances. To meet this demand, the Bulletproof Vest Partnership (BVP) Program was established to help local, state, and tribal law enforcement agencies provide officers with armor vests. The program pays up to 50 percent of the total cost of each vest.

To provide easy and direct access for the thousands of eligible jurisdictions nationwide, an innovative Internet-based application system was developed in 1999. This system provides a means for jurisdictions and law enforcement agencies to search an online database to select National Institute of Justice-approved vests for their applications. It also encourages vest distributors to register online for the program, which then permits basic information about the vendor to appear in the “yellow pages” portion of the web site.

From when the program opened for applications in 1999 through the end of FY 2002, more than 16,000 jurisdictions have submitted applications totaling $369 million to purchase more than 700,000 vests. In FY 2002, specifically, nearly 5,200 jurisdictions submitted applications with requests for funding totaling $107 million to purchase more than 188,000 vests. The BVP Program awarded $23.5 million to help cover these costs. The law requires that preference be given to jurisdictions with populations under 100,000. The vast majority of BJA funds appropriated for the program went to these smaller sites.

National Center for Rural Law Enforcement

One of the primary obstacles facing rural law enforcement managers is the lack of management training specific to rural law enforcement needs. Training programs often emphasize techniques to solve crime problems present in larger cities. In reality, however, crime is becoming increasingly prevalent in rural communities, and training programs that target urban police departments cannot adequately address this emerging trend.

To fulfill this need, the National Center for Rural Law Enforcement, a division of the Criminal Justice Institute at the University of Arkansas, developed the Rural Executive Management Institute (REMI), an intensive 3- to 5-day course designed for rural law enforcement managers who serve communities with populations of 50,000 or fewer. In FY 2002, more than 150 law enforcement managers graduated from the REMI Program. The course is presented throughout the country, making training accessible and affordable to smaller departments. Course topics include:

• Grant Writing and Managing Budgets.

• Communications Concepts.

• Managing Small Departments.

• Recruitment and Retention.

• Leadership, Power, and Politics.

A course on combating terrorism will be added to future sessions.

Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Program

The Public Safety Officers’ Benefits (PSOB) Program was created in 1977 to provide a one-time financial benefit for families of local, state, and federal public safety officers killed in the line of duty. In 1990, PSOB’s scope was broadened to cover eligible public safety officers with permanent and total job-related disabilities, and in 1996 educational benefits were first made available for surviving spouses and children. In FY 2002, more than 220 new death and disability claims were submitted to PSOB, and an additional 300 applications for education benefits were received. In all, more than $53 million was awarded to officers’ surviving families.

Much of the first half of FY 2002 was spent processing more than 400 additional death claims made as a result of the September 11 terrorist attacks. The PSOB process was streamlined so claims could be paid within 30 days as required by the USA PATRIOT Act. The program provided $50 million in financial assistance to the families.

BJA also supports two nonprofit organizations that assist families of public safety officers killed in the line of duty: Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS) and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF). In FY 2002, BJA’s financial support funded seven COPS regional training sessions entitled, “The Traumas of Law Enforcement.” During these training sessions, more than 600 law enforcement officers learned about the importance of preparing law enforcement agencies to deal with line-of-duty deaths, catastrophic injuries, suicides, and traumatic stress suffered by coworkers. BJA funding also made possible COPS’ major event, the National Police Survivors’ Conference (held each May during National Police Week).

In FY 2002, BJA’s funding helped NFFF provide assistance to those affected by the events of September 11. In partnership with the Fire Department of New York’s Counseling Services Unit, NFFF shifted its efforts to long-term, emotional support through outreach to survivors. In addition, NFFF remains committed to meeting the needs of all fire service survivors throughout the country. As part of this effort, the organization continues to present the “Taking Care of Our Own” class and host the Annual Memorial Weekend, which honors fallen firefighters. The 2002 Annual Memorial Weekend was held in October in Washington, D.C. and attended in record numbers.

International Association of Chiefs of Police

Since 1893, the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) has been serving the needs of the law enforcement community. IACP has launched programs, conducted research, and provided programs and services to members throughout the world. Listed below are some of the BJA-funded programs that IACP has developed and implemented.

National Law Enforcement Policy Center
In 1987, IACP entered into a cooperative agreement with BJA to establish the National Law Enforcement Policy Center (NLEPC). The center is designed to help law enforcement agencies evaluate, update, and develop policies, procedures, and rules. All policies and discussion papers are offered electronically so they can be edited and customized to fit the needs of agency subscribers. In addition, NLEPC publishes a quarterly newsletter, Policy Review, which addresses the policy implications of current issues and concerns that may not be appropriate for development as model policies. Legal updates, current research, and changes in professional practices also are highlighted in the newsletter.

In FY 2002, NLEPC published and updated a number of policies and now has an inventory of 93 published model policies and discussion papers. The most recent volume contains policies on:

• Early warning systems.

• Identity theft.

• Inspections.

• Performance recognition awards.

• Written directive systems.

• Less-than-lethal weapons.

• Evacuations.

• Arrests.

• Foot pursuits.

• Crime scene processing.

• Criminal investigations.

NLEPC holds advisory group meetings several times a year to discuss policies that are under development. The next advisory group meeting will be held in early summer 2003, and nine new policies currently under development will be discussed.

Support Services for Small Police Departments
Many smaller police agencies are isolated from the network of national information and resources by virtue of their remote locations and limited resources and training. In 1997, BJA awarded funding to IACP to provide technical assistance and outreach to the more than 14,000 police agencies throughout the nation that employ fewer than 25 officers and serve communities with populations smaller than 25,000. This group comprises 87 percent of all U.S. police departments.

The grant has allowed IACP to identify the current and emerging technical assistance needs of smaller, rural police agency executives; design ways for smaller agencies to become aware of regional and national resources available to them through information sharing; and provide ways for these agencies to access training, technical assistance, and information resources.

In FY 2002, specifically, BJA funding helped IACP accomplish many tasks, including the following:

• Providing 17 onsite technical assistance visits to 16 states with 685 agencies in attendance.

• Conducting 12 onsite training sessions, which served 506 law enforcement executives.

• Designing and distributing the IACP newsletter, Big Ideas for Smaller Police Departments.

• Developing a Best Practices Guide on Internal Affairs Policy.

In addition, FY 2002 funding allowed IACP to create a Tribal Police Training Track to reach the more than 300 tribal and Bureau of Indian Affairs police agencies in the country.

Improved Safety in Indian Country
In 2001, IACP held a national policy summit, Improving Safety in Indian Country. This project was a collaborative venture of the IACP Indian Country Law Enforcement Section, several components of the Department of Justice (OJP, the Office of Tribal Justice, the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys), and others committed to improving safety in Indian Country. The product of this summit is a report that includes 52 recommendations for local, state, federal, and tribal responses to improve safety for American Indians on reservations and the communities adjacent to them.

As a result of the comprehensive 2001 summit recommendations, in FY 2002 BJA funded IACP to provide the second phase of the summit process: four regional symposia in Indian Country. The goals of the symposia were to:

• Involve tribes in regional information-sharing symposia that focus on review and validation of the summit recommendations.

• Identify promising practices in each region that respond effectively to the summit recommendations and improve safety.

Sniper Task Force

This unprecedented violence spree had an impact beyond the immediate area in which these crimes were occurring, and it led to costs that went beyond the contingencies police departments normally build into their budgets. As a result, BJA provided assistance to offset costs incurred by state and local jurisdictions affected by the sniper investigation. In total, BJA paid nearly 60 percent (approximately $2.5 million) of the overtime expenses submitted by Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. and committed up to $200,000 in funding each to Prince William and Fairfax Counties in Virginia to help cover the prosecution costs associated with the high-profile trial of the sniper suspects.³

In FY 2003, BJA also has provided funding to the Police Executive Research Forum to review what lessons were learned from the investigation to assist law enforcement agencies in preparing for future responses to multijurisdictional cases.

Law Enforcement Innovation Center

BJA funds the Law Enforcement Innovation Center (LEIC), a criminal justice training and technical assistance program administered by the University of Tennessee’s Institute for Public Service. Established in 2000 as a partnership between the University of Tennessee and the Knoxville Police Department, LEIC’s goals are threefold: (1) to provide advanced technical and advanced leadership training, (2) to facilitate the delivery of technical assistance and advanced technology transfer, and (3) to develop partnerships between local law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve. LEIC provides training and technology-transfer assistance to city and county law enforcement agencies, primarily in the southeastern United States.

LEIC training focuses on four areas:

• Leadership and executive training. One program offered is the Southeastern Command and Leadership Academy, composed of seven 1-week sessions over an 8-month period, which prepares law enforcement officers to be leaders. The second class graduated 20 students from the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee in February 2003. In FY 2002, LEIC also developed the Law Enforcement CEO Survival Course, presented to the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police in June 2003.

• Advanced law enforcement technologies. Since July 2002, LEIC has been actively working on the Corridor Access Police Tracking Uniform Records Exchange (CAPTURE). This multijurisdictional database, expected to be completed in mid-2003, will allow participating law enforcement agencies to investigate criminal activity in the southeastern technology corridor.

• Operational law enforcement innovations. Under this initiative, LEIC developed a National Forensic Academy, an intensive 10-week course designed to enhance the skills and expertise of crime scene investigators. So far, 56 investigators have graduated.

• Community partnership programs. Under this initiative, LEIC works with the Aspire Program for Youth, which engages high school students from across the southeast region in meaningful projects that help their schools and communities. The Aspire Program, an outgrowth of the Safe and Drug-Free Schools initiative, seeks to change youth attitudes and norms regarding the use of alcohol, drugs, and violence and to create more safe and disciplined learning environments. In FY 2002, more than 525 students from the 9th through 12th grades participated in this year-long program. These students contributed thousands of hours of needed service and had the opportunity to be leaders in their schools and communities. In fall 2002, the Aspire Program, with assistance from LEIC, began an eight-state expansion.