Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2009, $783,615)
The State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance Program: Combating Criminal Narcotics Activity Stemming from the Southern border of the United States under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 is designed to provide resources for hiring, retention, assistance, and equipment to local law enforcement along the Southern border and in High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas in order to combat criminal narcotics activity stemming from the Southern border of the United States. For the purpose of this solicitation, the term 'criminal narcotics activity' includes all drugs controlled by the Controlled Substance Act 21 USC Section 801.
Under Category II: Enhancing Southern Border Jails, Community Corrections, and Detention Operations, Webb County, in conjunction with the Webb County Sheriff's Office, will use its grant award to implement intelligence-led jail management with a cadre of specially-trained detention officers in order to reduce international, national, state, regional, and local drug trafficking, money laundering activities, drug-related crime, drug availability, and drug-related public corruption. The seven officers will conduct crime analysis and contribute to ongoing investigations and intelligence-gathering through their cooperation with the Gang Intelligence Unit. Rather than deterring criminals and criminal activity, prisons, jails, and other detention facilities have sometimes inadvertently become a networking opportunity for gangs and drug trafficking organizations (DTOs). By instituting intelligence-led jail management, including intelligence-gathering through the surveillance, monitoring, and interception of in-jail communications among gang leaders, DTO members, and other inmates of interest residing in the Webb County Jail, the proposed project at the Jail will become a significant conduit in the disruption of gangs and DTOs. The officers will focus not only on local cases, but will contribute to the investigations and intelligence-gathering conducted by other agencies, including applicable federal, state, regional and local law enforcement agencies. Grant funds will also pay for a camera surveillance system for the jail and computers for the detention officers.
CA/NCF