Osceola County JAG

The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program (JAG) allows states, tribes, and local governments to support a broad range of activities to prevent and control crime based on their own local needs and conditions. Grant funds can be used for state and local initiatives, technical assistance, training, personnel, equipment, supplies, contractual support, and information systems for criminal justice for any one or more of the following purpose areas: 1) law enforcement programs; 2) prosecution and court programs; 3) prevention and education programs; 4) corrections and community corrections programs; 5) drug treatment programs; 6) planning, evaluation, and technology improvement programs; and 7) crime victim and witness programs (other than compensation).

The $21,883 awarded to the Osceola County Board of County Commissioners for the Fiscal Year 2008 JAG will be used for two separate programs administered by the Osceola County Sheriff's Department and the Solid Rock Church of God.

The Osceola County Sheriff's Department will receive $14,955 to purchase (5) Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA). This equipment will be used to protect officers and minimize risk from chemical contaminants while onsite at suspected methamphetamine manufacturing labs, as well as other indoor drug labs. The SCBA will also be used to support the certification of additional officers, assist in community awareness of methamphetamine labs, conduct in-service training for all law enforcement agencies within Osceola County and conduct methamphetamine/drug classes for local businesses in the hotel/motel industry. Many of these drug labs cannot properly ventilate the structure it is housed in, which allows the chemicals used in the process to stay confined within the lab. These chemicals increase the safety risk for officers in response. These funds will help to provide an extra line of safety while officers process, identify and dismantle drug labs throughout the county.

The Solid Rock Church of God will receive $6,928 to fund an after school program to help in the prevention of youth related crimes and drug use. Funds will go towards the purchase of classroom supplies and salaries for staff. The program will provide tutoring, mentoring, interpersonal social skills training and job readiness. Juvenile crime is at a peak during after school hours in Osceola County and after school programs have proven to deter this. Programs have been shown to improve academic performance, raise self-confidence, develop better social skills and teach youth how to handle conflicts in a socially acceptable way. The hopes of the Solid Rock Church of God and Osceola County is to decrease the number of youth crimes, victimized youth and the chance of them engaging in drug and alcohol abuse.

NCA/NCF