Vermont's Rural Law Enforcement to Combat Crime and Drugs Grant: Category I Combating Rural Crime

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 Vermont Department of Public Safety will use its award to hire one intelligence analyst assigned at the Vermont Fusion Center (VTFC) to support rural law enforcement investigations in the state of Vermont. Hiring the analyst will allow the VTFC to expand its capability to support local and state law enforcement in tracking crime trends and developing products that will provide field commanders in participating jurisdictions with actionable intelligence so they can better direct their resources based on vetted information. Additionally, the analyst will support rural communities and their respective law enforcement agencies in support for major criminal investigations.

CA/CF