Lebanon/Laclede County Justice Information Sharing Project

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 Lebanon Police Department will use the funds for the Lebanon/Laclede County Justice Information Sharing Project, which is a collaborative effort between the Lebanon Police Department and the Laclede County Sheriff's Office. The goals of the project are to: facilitate rural justice information sharing and enhance the ability to combat crime and drugs in the region; improve officer and community safety by utilizing mobile technology as a force multiplier to the officers in the field; and stimulate economic recovery by creating jobs in the city of Lebanon. Under the grant funds, the grantee will upgrade records management systems, upgrade agency computer networks to support information sharing, implement a mobile data network to include ruggedized laptops with high speed data connections to enable officers on the street to benefit from real time justice information sharing, and hire two technical specialists to support and maintain this system.

CA/CF