Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Senators Jim Webb and Mark Warner today announced $148 million in federal grants to Virginia agencies, municipalities, and public safety organizations.  The 296 U.S. Department of Justice grants support public safety projects across the Commonwealth of Virginia.

“Given the difficult economic climate and the budget shortfalls facing local governments, this critical funding will provide uninterrupted law enforcement services and will spur innovation and efficiency in public safety,” said Senator Webb, author of the National Criminal Justice Act, which would create a bipartisan commission to review the criminal justice system and offer concrete recommendations for reform. 

“Especially in a time of tight budgets, these grants provide much-needed support for vital public safety programs across Virginia,” Senator Warner said. “These funds will help us better support victims of crime, equip our front-line law enforcement officers, and provide additional investment in the longer-term modernization of Virginia’s criminal justice system.”  

The Department of Justice has three grant making components: the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), and the Office of Justice Programs (OJP). 

• The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) is the largest grant making arm of the Department of Justice. For Fiscal Year 2010, Virginia received 266 awards totaling $138.4 million in OJP grants to help Virginia prevent and control crime, administer justice, and assist victims.  To view the entire list of OJP grant awards in Virginia, please click here. 
• The Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) administers financial and technical assistance to communities across the country that are developing programs, policies, and practices aimed at ending domestic violence. For Fiscal Year 2010, the Commonwealth of Virginia received 16 OVW grants totaling more than $7.4 million. To view the entire list of OVW grand awards in Virginia, please click here.
• Within the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program, Virginia received eight awards totaling more than $500,000 from the Secure Our Schools (SOS) grant program, which focuses on improving safety by preventing school violence in and around schools. Six grants totaling more than $1.6 million were awarded to Virginia through the COPS Hiring Program, enabling local law enforcement agencies in the Commonwealth to hire and/or rehire full-time sworn officers to increase their community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts. 

A breakdown of regional highlights is below:

NORTHERN VIRGINIA

• $800,000 to the County of Fairfax to establish the Fairfax County Domestic Violence Justice Center, which will provide survivor centered, coordinated services to victims of domestic violence and stalking. They money will also support four attorneys to prosecute domestic violence matters in the Fairfax County Circuit Court as well as other related personnel positions. 
• $749,898 to George Mason University to implement the “Skills for Offender Assessment and Responsivity in New Goals” project to create a suite of web-based tools to develop and sustain evidence-based practices. 
• $659,256 to Enough is Enough in Great Falls, Virginia, to implement the Virginia Internet Safety 101: Program to reduce Internet-initiated crime against youth 

HAMPTON ROADS

• $7.4 million in aggregated grants to the National Center for State Courts in Williamsburg, Virginia.  The money will go to a range of projects, including enhancement of the statistical database for state court systems nationwide, a survey of state court criminal appeals processing, and an assessment of current procedures for reporting dispositions and warrants. 
• $385,310 to the City of Franklin through the COPS Hiring Program.  This money will allow the Franklin policing services to hire and/or rehire two full-time sworn officers to increase their community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts.
• $1.3 million in Justice Assistance Grants (JAG) to York County, James City County, Accomack County, Suffolk, Southampton, Hampton, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, Newport News, and Norfolk. The JAG Program supports a variety of efforts such as hiring and support for law enforcement officers; multijurisdictional drug and gang task forces; crime prevention and domestic violence programs; and courts, corrections, treatment, and justice information sharing initiatives.

RICHMOND

• $16.7 million to the National White Collar Crime Center in Glen Allen, Virginia. The NW3C will provide national training and support to improve the capacity of criminal justice systems to fight economic, financial, and electronic crime with an emphasis on intellectual property.
• $6 million in aggregated grants to the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services  for projects including the STOP Violence Against Women Program, forensic science improvements, and substance abuse treatment for state prisoners. 
• $200,000 to the City of Richmond to launch a Violence-Free Zone (VFZ) initiative to prevent and reduce youth violence and to make George Wythe High School safe for learning. 

SHENANDOAH VALLEY

• $1 million to the Clarke County Sheriff’s Department to support the Northwest Virginia Regional Gang Task Force. The county will use the money to raise awareness about gangs and gang violence and to identify, apprehend, and prosecute gang offenders. 
• $350,000 to the City of Roanoke for the Safe Havens Program, a two year pilot program to increase supervised visitation and exchange options for families with a history of domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault, or stalking. Roanoke will use the funds to collaborate with its partners, Total Action Against Poverty and the 23^rd Judicial District Court to strengthen and enhance existing program services. 
• $135,398 to the City of Charlottesville through the Adult Drug Court Discretionary Grant Program. The money will be used to enhance the Charlottesville-Albemarle Adult Drug Treatment Court. 

SOUTHSIDE

• $422,919 to Henry County through the COPS Hiring Program. This money will allow the county policing services to hire and/or rehire 3 full-time sworn officers to increase their community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts.
• $400,000 to the City of Lynchburg for the Community-Defined Solutions to Violence Against Women Program. Lynchburg will collaborate with its non-profit, non-governmental victim service partner, YWCA Crisis Service to enhance the protocols and staff of the Domestic Violence Prosecution Units 
• $185,000 in Justice Assistance Grants (JAG) to Lynchburg, Danville, Henry County, Campbell County, Pittsylvania County, Brunswith County, and the Town of South Hill. The JAG Program supports a variety of efforts such as hiring and support for law enforcement officers; multijurisdictional drug and gang task forces; crime prevention and domestic violence programs; and courts, corrections, treatment, and justice information sharing initiatives. 

SOUTHWEST

• $349,989 to the City of Bristol to establish an adult drug court to assist non-violent offenders with successful rehabilitation from the use of drugs and/or alcohol. 
• $107,126 to the Town of Glade Spring through the COPS Hiring Program.  This money will allow Glade Spring policing services to hire and/or rehire a full-time sworn officer to increase their community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts
• 63,745 in Justice Assistance Grants (JAG) to Russell County, Washington County, Bristol, and Blacksburg. The JAG Program supports a variety of efforts such as hiring and support for law enforcement officers; multijurisdictional drug and gang task forces; crime prevention and domestic violence programs; and courts, corrections, treatment, and justice information sharing initiatives
• $50,000 in Bulletproof Vest Partnership Program grants to make the police force more safe across the Commonwealth.