Investigative Information Analyst

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) solicits applications for initiatives which assist law enforcement in rural states and rural areas. The program helps rural states and rural areas to prevent and combat crime, especially drug-related crime, and provides for national support efforts, including training and technical assistance programs strategically targeted to address rural needs.

The Assistance to Rural Law Enforcement to Combat Crime and Drugs Program, administered by BJA, helps rural states and rural areas prevent and combat crime, especially drug-related crime, and provides for national support efforts, including training and technical assistance programs strategically targeted to address rural needs. In addition, priority consideration will be given to local law enforcement agencies in rural areas where the unit of local government is not eligible to receive a direct allocation from the Recovery Act Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program or received a direct allocation that was $50,000 or less. Applicants were invited to submit a proposal under any one of the following categories to: 1) combat rural crime; 2) improve rural law enforcement investigations; 3) enhance rural detention and jail operations; 4) facilitate rural justice information sharing; or 5) develop a national training and technical assistance program.

Under category 1, the city of Mason will use the grant funds to support the Mason City Police Department (MCPD) in combating rural crime. MCPD's goal is to gather readily available information and conduct research on information that will result in credible, useful, concise, and timely data for intelligence-led policing. In addition, MCPD will provide this intelligence information to area agencies, as well as provide real time information to investigators during ongoing major crime investigations. MCPD will hire an experienced criminal investigator, construct a criminal intelligence database, enhance information sharing capabilities by providing data electronically to intelligence networks like RISS and FBI N-Dex, create a multi-jurisdictional cyber-crime consortium to direct cyber-crime investigations, and provide training to law enforcement agencies. Grant funds will also be used to pay for computers, GPS, and travel costs for BJA-sponsored training.

CA/NCF