State of Alabama FY2011 Edward Byrne JAG Program

The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program (JAG) allows states and units of local government, including tribes, to support a broad range of activities to prevent and control crime based on their own state and local needs and conditions. Grant funds can be used for state and local initiatives, technical assistance, training, personnel, equipment, supplies, contractual support, and information systems for criminal justice, including for any one or more of the following purpose areas: 1) law enforcement programs; 2) prosecution and court programs; 3) prevention and education programs; 4) corrections and community corrections programs; 5) drug treatment and enforcement programs; 6) planning, evaluation, and technology improvement programs; and 7) crime victim and witness programs (other than compensation).

The Alabama Department of Economic And Community Affairs will use its Fiscal Year 2011 JAG award to accomplish the following goals: 1. To promote and encourage coordination and cooperation among law enforcement agencies operating within the State that are combating violent crime and illegal drug activities, and to promote and encourage their coordination and cooperation with other jurisdictional entities that are providing support and assistance to the overall effort by providing services to criminal justice system components. This is a comprehensive goal set out to promulgate a cooperative atmosphere between the several participating entities creating a synergy effect that will promote economic recovery and assist those law enforcement agencies that may have been negatively impacted by the recession; 2. To preserve and/or create jobs within the drug/violent crime task forces already established in Alabama. This goal is Alabama's major priority, and specific subgrant programs are supported with this goal as their focus; 3. To provide a Crime Prevention Clearinghouse and Training Institute that will deliver law enforcement and crime prevention training, which assist cities and counties to remove or reduce the opportunity for crime in their community and the State of Alabama; 4. To provide systems for intelligence-gathering and information/data collection and analysis so as to assist in identifying problem areas, coordinating enforcement efforts, and developing methods to address information needs. Intelligence systems receive subgrant program support and are another of Alabama's major priorities; and 5. To support State projects in an effort to stabilize the government budgets, in order to minimize and avoid reductions in essential services and counterproductive state and local tax increases.

NCA/NCF