Enhancing Rural Detention Opeations

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 3, Lea County will use the award to preserve two full-time Lea County Detention Center (LCDC) positions. Recently, Lea County budget limitations caused LCDC to reduce the number of detention officers by two positions. The award will allow these positions to be preserved. Funds will also improve and enhance the sharing of criminal justice information across rural law enforcement agencies. LCDC will purchase and install a new software system that will enable easy access and quick response time to requests from other agencies. Finally, the grant will enhance LCDC's administration and operations by improving internal administration and operations such as booking and release processing and inmate tracking, facilitating federal and state corrections reporting, and providing computerized inmate and facility accounting.

CA/CF