MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA — U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey has announced Department of Justice grant awards totaling $2.265 million for law enforcement partners and community service organizations across the Northern District of West Virginia.
“Our district is strongest when law enforcement and outreach services are well-equipped to serve our neighbors and keep them safe,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey. “This funding not only assists the recipients in their good work, but it improves the lives of every person living in those communities.”
The awards, provided through the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program, represent the nation’s leading source of federal justice funding to state and local jurisdictions, the District of Columbia, and all U.S. territories. For more than 20 years, the JAG program has provided critical funding to support law enforcement’s ability to protect the communities they serve, supporting critical needs such as personnel, equipment and supplies, technology, training, information systems for criminal justice or civil proceedings, and other operational priorities. JAG funding also supports a wide range of programs that strengthen crime prevention efforts and enhance the effectiveness of prosecutors, courts, corrections agencies, and services for crime victims and witnesses.
“This funding strengthens our state, local, and tribal partners’ ability to address violent crime, support officers on the front lines, and keep our Nation’s communities safe,” said Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr. “The JAG Program continues to provide essential resources that help jurisdictions meet today’s public safety threats and uphold the rule of law.”
The Office of Justice Programs has awarded $124,358 in Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance grants to five law enforcement offices in the Northern District of West Virginia to enhance officer safety, investigative services, and technology. Those departments awarded are:
- The Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office – $23,697 for officer body armor
- The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office – $12,287 for firearms accessories and ammunition
- The Fairmont Police Department – $19,444 for technology equipment
- The Wheeling Police Department – $57,790 for investigative technology and equipment
- The Ohio County Sheriff’s Office – $11,140 for investigative technology and equipment
BJA awarded more than $199 million in state JAG funding across 56 awards and more than $90 million in local JAG funding across 895 awards.
In addition, the Office on Violence Against Women has awarded $2,141,039 in grant funding in West Virginia. The West Virginia Office of Justice and Community Services received $1,329,906 to strengthen law enforcement, prosecution, and court strategies to combat violent crime against women and to strengthen victim services in domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking cases. The office also received $811,133 to support rape crisis centers and non-profit organizations that provide services to victims of sexual assault.
For more information on the awards, funding availability, and applying for Department of Justice grants, go to https://www.ojp.gov/funding.
