Community Justice Program: Targeting Violence

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 City of Kansas City will use its Fiscal Year 2007 Edward Byrne Memorial Discretionary Category 1: Targeting Violent Crime Grant Program award to implement the comprehensive Community Justice Program (CJP) to target violent crime by enhancing the capacity of local justice systems. The City participates in numerous collaborations to provide public safety and law enforcement activities to 1,776,062 metropolitan area residents through various municipal, state, and federal task forces. The CJP is designed as a model for reducing violent crime and promoting stability in the target area by: addressing the need for community capacity building through street level mediation; reducing recidivism through focused re-entry programs; engaging at-risk youth; increasing law enforcement capacity through technology acquisition; and, increasing intelligence-led policing through interagency information sharing.

CA/NCF