Infrastructure Support for 'MOVE' Rural Information Sharing

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 4, the Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center (ACJIC) will use the FY 2009 Rural Law Enforcement to Combat Crime and Drugs program funds for infrastructure support for the 'MOVE' Rural Information Sharing project. The goals of the program are to achieve a significantly higher level of information sharing to at least 100 additional rural jurisdictions by the adoption of the Mobile Officer Virtual Environment (MOVE) and the major information sharing components that it supports. The project will also efficiently produce data to be shared and make field officers more productive by implementing the other MOVE applications. To meet these goals, the funds will be used to: install hardware and MOVE software for at least 100 rural law enforcement agencies in addition to those who have already procured MOVE; increase training capabilities by hiring two additional trainers; extend the current help desk capability by adding two help desk personnel; hire a unit leader to support promotion, installation, training, and the help-desk; train 1500 to 2000 officers over two years, including both the new rural law enforcement agencies and approximately 120 other agencies on the waiting list; assist agencies with hardware installations; develop software to more efficiently support mass roll-outs of MOVE as well as upgrades in MOVE and its applications; and maintain and upgrade all applications based on feedback received during the scale-up.

CA/CF