Violent Crime Reduction Program

The Edward Byrne Memorial Discretionary Grants Program, administered by the Office of Justice Programs' (OJP's) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), furthers the Department's mission by assisting state and local jurisdictions in improving the criminal justice system and assisting communities in preventing drug abuse and crime. In fiscal year 2007, the Edward Byrne Memorial Discretionary Grants Program will focus on funding local, regional, and national efforts within six major categories: 1) targeting violent crime; 2) preventing crime and drug abuse; 3) enhancing local law enforcement; 4) enhancing local courts; 5) enhancing local corrections and offender reentry; and 6) facilitating justice information sharing. All categories combat, address, or otherwise respond to precipitous or extraordinary increases in crime, or in a type or types of crime.

The Arlington Police Department will utilize the 2007 Targeting Violent Crime Reduction Initiative funds to target violent offenders and violent offenses involving guns and other weapons, from basic street level enforcement through the use of cutting-edge technology. The Arlington Police Department has developed a three-part, multi-faceted strategy that includes more proactive policing efforts in high crime areas, updated technology, and efficient identification of criminals.

Specifically, these strategies and deliverables will be coordinated by unit supervisors responsible for each participating segment: (1) Proactive Policing of High Crime Areas - increase resources for proactive investigations by utilizing overtime funds to conduct operations targeting violent crime, violent offenders, and gangs in Arlington; (2) Updated Technology - provide investigators with state-of-the-art equipment and updated training to increase investigators' ability to process evidence on electronic media, thus strengthening cases against violent offenders; and (3) Efficient Identification and Improved Inter-agency Operability - increase the ability to quickly identify criminals who are arrested for relatively minor charges but who may be associated with more violent crime and to share this information with other agencies, and to help eliminate the backlog of latent fingerprints.

CA/NCF