Byrne 2007 Discretionary Grant 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 San Francisco City/County Police Department, along with the Probation Departments and the U.S. Attorney's Office, will use the grant award to implement the Search and Rescue project. Search and Rescue aims to reduce gun-related crime by 20 percent in the target area, and also reduce drug-related crime around target area schools by 20 percent.

The project will develop a multi-disciplinary approach to violence reduction by utilizing the services of the Community Connect and Safe Start violence reduction programs, enforcing civil injunctions, and expanding the pilot Search and Rescue project. This approach will be carried out by conducting spontaneous and unannounced searches on eligible probationers to deter further criminal activity and rescue children from being exposed to drug dealers in public areas within 1000 feet of their schools.

CA/NCF