Enhancing Local Law Enforcement

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 National Forensic Science Technology Center (NFSTC) develops, delivers, and administers training program curricula, both on-and off-site. The NFSTC has hosted and sponsored technology transfer workshops on topics such as Performance Level Auditing, Toxicology, Hair Examination, Biological Screenings, Mitochondrial DNA, and Statistics. The NFSTC will: develop forensic service support for law enforcement agencies in the Tampa Bay region of Florida, sponsoring four training conferences on the resolution of cold cases; develop a basic Medical Examiner training resource for forensic Fellows; and, integrate new technologies into the delivery of forensic science services, training 100 law enforcement officers, attorneys, judges and forensic service providers at a national conference.

CA/NCF