Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2009, $2,098,741)
The Recovery Act Edward Byrne Memorial Competitive Grant Program (Byrne Competitive Program) will help communities improve the capacity of state and local justice systems and provide for national support efforts including training and technical assistance programs strategically targeted to address local needs. This competitive grant announcement focuses on initiatives in eight areas: 1) preventing and reducing violent crime through community-based data-driven approaches; 2) providing funding for neighborhood-based probation and parole officers; 3) reducing mortgage fraud and crime related to vacant properties; 4) hiring of civilian support personnel in law enforcement (training staff, analysts, dispatchers, etc.); 5) enhancing forensic and crime scene investigations; 6) improving resources and services for victims of crime; 7) supporting problem-solving courts; and 8) national training and technical assistance partnerships.
Under category 1, the Miami Dade State Attorney's Office (MDSAO) will use the grant award to continue and expand comprehensive community-based, data-driven approaches to prevent and reduce violent crime. Gangs and guns are major problems in Miami-Dade County. The core principle of the Miami model is to use long-term proactive investigation techniques by targeting, infiltrating, and dismantling the most dangerous organized criminal street gangs in south Florida. MDSAO has four goals: 1) use Recovery Act Funds to hire prosecutors, paralegals, trial coordinators, and research staff who will adopt data-driven methods to develop criminal cases against gang members; 2) prosecute and convict gang members who are involved in gun-related and other criminal activities; 3) analyze data from law enforcement agencies and use geographic information systems (GIS) to target specific gangs and reduce gang violence; and 4) work with county law enforcement agencies and organizations to prevent gang crimes and violent criminal behavior. The Gang Unit and the Gun Violence Enforcement Team will work with its research partner to continue to develop intelligence-led policing systems and implement Gangstat, a Compstat-like format for gangs. These efforts will be coordinated with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies nationwide.
CA/NCF