FY08 JAG Grant for New York City

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 City of New York, through the Mayor's Office of the Criminal Justice Coordinator, will utilize their JAG award in the amount of $2,181,680 to continue essential programs in law enforcement, crime prevention, enhanced prosecution, and drug treatment. Under its law enforcement initiative, the City will use funds to support the salaries and fringe benefits of New York City Police Department Communications Technicians in the city's 911 call center, a critical component of the city's public safety efforts. Under enhanced prosecution, funding will be directed to the Kings County District Attorney's Office for salaries of prosecutors assigned to the School Advocacy and Gang Bureau. In these bureaus, prosecutors focus on the adjudication of cases involving violent juvenile offenders, particularly those affiliated with gangs, and working with school officials, parents, teachers, and students to help combat crime within Brooklyn schools. The New York County District Attorney's Office will use JAG funds to continue the activities of their violent offender task force which targets criminals who are violent and habitual offenders, including the growing number of crime-prone youth. The Queens County District Attorney's Office will use JAG funds to enhance its efforts in violent crime, career criminal matters, and organized youth gang activity by supporting the salary of full-time district attorneys. The staff are assigned to augment the work of the office's Career Criminal/Major Crimes Bureau, which focuses on serious felony matters involving repeat offenders with lengthy and violent criminal histories, and the office's gang violence and hate crimes bureau, which tracks patterns of youth gang development and activity in the community. The Bronx County District Attorney's Office will use funds to support the salaries of staff assigned to the adjudication of violent offenders, as well as a paralegal who will support these efforts. The Richmond County District Attorney's Office will apply funding to support the salaries of civilian investigators, assistant district attorneys, and trial preparation assistants to enhance the prosecution of violent offenders. Under the initiative of drug treatment, the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor will use grant funds to continue operation of the Manhattan Treatment Court (MTC) and the narcotics predator program. Through MTC, low-level drug abusers are diverted into treatment programs rather than jail, while the narcotics predator program focuses on career and violent narcotics offenders by incarcerating those who have shown a willingness to use violence, possess weapons, and repeatedly disregard laws. Remaining funds will be directed toward a New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area community program that converts under-utilized National Guard Armories into sports centers for children in disadvantaged neighborhoods. Through the grant, equipment and supplies will be purchased for the center, in order to provide positive after-school activities.

NCA/NCF