Police grants: What's being federally funded in 2016?

The Federal Appropriations Committees have passed the Omnibus Appropriations Bill which authorizes the funding for federal grants. This article is a summary of the funding which will be announced in 2016 for law enforcement agencies. The details of those grants will be provided later through the Grant Funding Announcements (NOFAs, Request for Proposals and other documents) which will be posted throughout the year at the Office of Justice Program website.

The U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) bill totals $55.7 billion in proposed discretionary budget authority, which is more than $5.6 billion above the fiscal year 2015 level, $3.7 million more than the President’s request and $4.7 billion more than the Senate Committee mark for fiscal year 2016.  

This bill provides the funding for grant funding through the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The bill provides $29 billion for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to keep America safe from criminals and terrorists. Funding also allows DOJ to provide grants and assistance to state and local law enforcement that help put police officers on the beat, equip them with body armor, test backlogged DNA evidence, protect schools and college campuses, and assist victims of violent crime and sexual assault.

Provision Highlights for Law Enforcement Grant Funding:

Gun Violence
•    $73 million for all states to improve the quality of criminal and mental health records so interstate background checks are more effective
•    $15 million to train local police how to respond to active shooter situations so police and bystanders can get safely out of the way when the unthinkable happens
•    $75 million for  comprehensive school safety which will allow communities to conduct school safety assessments and fill gaps in school safety plans 

Heroin Crisis
•    $7 million to fund anti-heroin task forces within the COPS program. Competitive grants will be awarded for drug enforcement, including investigations and activities related to stopping the distribution of heroin or unlawful diversion and distribution of prescription opioids
•    The bill also provides funding for Justice Department grant programs available to state and local governments for residential drug treatment ($12 million), prescription drug monitoring ($13 million) and drug courts ($42 million)

Violence Against Women 
•    $480 million, the highest funding level ever, for grants provided by the Office on Violence Against Women.  Funding is provided for multiple competitive and formula grant programs that support training for police officers and prosecutors, state domestic violence and sexual assault coalitions, rape prevention programs, lethality assessment and homicide reduction initiatives, domestic violence hotlines, and women’s shelters and transitional housing support services
•    $45 million to address the sexual assault kit backlog at law enforcement agencies

Office of National Drug Control Policy 
•    $380 million, $5 million (one percent) more than the fiscal year 2015 enacted level.  For the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program, the agreement provides $250 million, a $5 million increase from fiscal year 2015, and $95 million for Drug-Free Communities, a $1.5 million increase from the fiscal year 2015 enacted level. This funding will help reduce drug trafficking and drug use.

State and Local Programs 
•    $2.5 billion for various state and local grant programs, which is $174 million above the fiscal year 2015 enacted level
•    $476 million for Byrne Justice Assistance Grants
•    $210 million for the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program
•    $72 million for missing and exploited children programs; $45 million to address the sexual assault kit backlog at law enforcement agencies 
•    $70 million for programs to improve police-community relations, including the purchase of body-worn cameras for police

Further details about the grant program announcements will be provided as they become available. 

To receive the federal grant program announcements in your email box as they become available, please go to Grants.gov and become a subscriber to receive notices based on selected areas of interest.