New Orleans Violent Crime Reduction Initiative

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 Louisiana State Police will implement the New Orleans Violent Crime Reduction Initiative Department funded under Category 1: Targeting Violent Crime. They will partner with the New Orleans Police Department and the Louisiana Eastern District United States Attorney's Office to address violent crime in the City of New Orleans through an intelligence led, data driven, multi-jurisdictional policing task force. The Louisiana State Police will deploy personnel based on violent crime trends; arrest violent offenders from the New Orleans area; refer violent offenders for federal prosecution; implement an intelligence system for use by law enforcement; increase intelligence collected from incarcerated offenders; and provide weekly crime analysis data to districts. They will fund overtime hours, training for law enforcement officers, software development and system integration, and purchase the necessary equipment and supplies.

CA/NCF