Rural Area Law Enforcement Assistance

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 Shelton will use its award to retain two Shelton Police Department commissioned officer positions in order to continue crime prevention activities within the city and surrounding areas. Grant funds will retain a Community Policing Officer and a School Resource Officer who will: 1) conduct bi-annual Citizens Police Academies; 2) attend regularly scheduled meetings with other entities to share information; 3) conduct annual Kidz Watch Academies; 4) provide weekly updates to CrimeWeb.net; 5) complete the crime-mapping module data input; 6) provide information to RISS and N-Dex; 8) track on a quarterly basis the crime rates within the city of Shelton; and 9) monitor offenders on community supervision with the WA State Department of Corrections.

CA/CF