Rural Law Enforcement Training Initiative

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.

The University of Tennessee Law Enforcement Innovation Center will address the training needs of the nation's rural law enforcement agencies. They will partner with national, state, and local law enforcement agencies to provide high-quality training and technical assistance. They will deliver 'Fundamentals of Cybercrime Investigation' train-the-trainer courses in rural states, purchase and deliver mobile computer labs for these states to increase their capacity to train rural law enforcement in their region, develop web-based leadership training, including creation of webinars and podcasts, develop a leadership training CD-ROM, provide technical assistance to rural law enforcement agencies nationally, and distribute a resource DVD and training materials to inform law enforcement on pharmacy robbery protection.

CA/NCF