Ashland Police Department 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 city of Ashland will use the award to support the Ashland Police Department Information Sharing Project. The goal of this project is to improve the capacity of the Ashland Police Department (APD) in utilizing technology and information sharing to combat crime in the community. The grant funds will be used to make operations interoperable with other law enforcement agencies and databases, allowing APD to establish and enhance partnerships, share information, and be more proactive in crime prevention responsibilities. APD will hire a records management clerk, purchase and install a records management system, purchase and install a dispatch recording system, and purchase and install a live scan fingerprint system. The records management clerk will be responsible for report and data entry, information integration, and electronic exchanges with other law enforcement agencies and databases. A computerized records management system (RMS) will allow officers to prepare and file all standard reports online. In addition to a better reporting system, RMS will allow mug shots and fingerprints to be maintained with accurate information. Overall, the project will result in increased sharing of information and intelligence to improve arrest and clearance rates.

CA/CF