The National Criminal Justice Association (NCJA) has developed a series of one-page fact sheets highlighting how Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne JAG) funding is spent by the field. These new topical fact sheets showcase spending in 19 specific areas of the justice system.

In addition, NCJA has created state-specific fact sheets showcasing how each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia spends its funding.  There is an overview of total Byrne JAG spending by project.

The JAG program, specifically authorized under 34 U.S.C. §§ 10151 - 10158 and managed through the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), is the leading source of federal justice funding to state and local jurisdictions. The JAG Program provides states, tribes, and local governments with critical funding necessary to support a range of program areas including law enforcement, prosecution, indigent defense, courts, crime prevention and education, corrections and community corrections, drug treatment and enforcement, planning, evaluation, technology improvement, and crime victim and witness initiatives and mental health programs and related law enforcement and corrections programs, including behavioral programs and crisis intervention teams. 

Interoperability of communications equipment, which was a problem during the 9/11 attacks, remains a problem today. For instance, during the response to the Parkland shooting, a lack of interoperable equipment forced law enforcement to resort to hand signals.

~Excerpt from the final report

The Federal Commission on School Safety recently released its final report with recommendations on how schools can prevent, protect and mitigate, and respond to a school shooting or other significant threat. The report contains nearly 100 recommendations, including doing more to address mental health issues and ensuring interoperability of local law enforcement and school communications equipment.

Every day, federal, state, and local law enforcement officers engage in exceptional acts of bravery while in the line of duty. Often, such acts place the officers involved at personal risk of injury or result in their sustaining physical injuries. To honor these acts of bravery, Congress passed the Law Enforcement Congressional Badge of Bravery Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-298), creating the Federal Law Enforcement Congressional Badge of Bravery and the State and Local Law Enforcement Congressional Badge of Bravery (CBOB) award. The medals are awarded annually by the U.S. Attorney General and are presented by the recipients’ congressional representatives.

The CBOB Nomination Period is open and nominations are due by 11:59 p.m., ET, on February 15, 2019.

The 2019 Office of Justice Programs (OJP) Grant Application Resource Guide provides guidance to assist OJP grant applicants in preparing and submitting applications for OJP funding, as well as information that may help potential applicants making the decision whether to apply for funding. It addresses a variety of policies, statutes, and regulations that apply to many (or in some cases, all) OJP program applicants or to grants and cooperative agreements awarded in Fiscal Year 2019. Some OJP programs may have program solicitations that expressly modify a provision of this guide; in such cases, the applicant is to follow the guidelines in the solicitation as to any such expressly modified provision.

OJP's program offices include the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the Office for Victims of Crime; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking.

On January 25, 2019, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., ET, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is hosting the next Research for the Real World seminar to bring together a panel of law enforcement practitioners and leading researchers in the field of stress and trauma.

Panelists will discuss the current research evidence and practical benefits of targeted stress-management interventions and how to promote officer mental wellness. The panelists also will explore what additional research is needed to best support officer health and wellness, potentially highlighting priority areas for future research.

Register to attend in person, livestream virtually, or be notified when the panel recording is available.