LES Grants Unit

LES Grants Unit members coordinate grant program activities, provide grant technical assistance, review grant applications, and monitor law enforcement-related grant programs to Virginia counties, cities, and towns. Grants Unit members who deal directly with grantees, the Grant Coordinators, are Kathi Lee, Shelia Anderson, Neadie Lee, and Heather D'Amore. Each is responsible for all DCJS-awarded law enforcement grants that go to the agencies and jurisdictions of a particular region of the Commonwealth.

In FY06, the LES Grants Unit administered 219 grants totaling $10,670,072 in federal funds and $1,087,834 in state funds. These included:

• 65 Byrne Memorial Fund Grants: $2,428,726 in federal funds
• 20 Byrne Discretionary Anti-Gang Grants: $1,871,315 in federal funds
• 99 Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Grants: $6,370,031 in federal funds
• 35 School Resource Officer Incentive (Trust Fund) Grants: $1,087,834 in state funds

Grant Coordinator Regions and Contact Information

To view the region of the Commonwealth assigned to each grant coordinator, and to obtain grant coordinator contact information, please view the Grant Regions map (.pdf, 1 page).

The New Justice Assistance Grant Program

Historically, the largest funding source for DCJS law enforcement grants has been the Edward Byrne Memorial Formula Grant Program (federal funds). This program allowed considerable latitude in the funding of projects and was used to fund drug investigation task forces, crime analysts, crime prevention personnel and programs, criminal justice planners, school resource officers, and a wide variety of other law enforcement needs.

In 2005, Congress combined the Byrne grant program and the Local Law Enforcement Block Grant (LLEBG) program and named it the Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program. JAG funds can be used for state and local initiatives, technical assistance, training, personnel, equipment, supplies, contractual support and information systems for criminal justice or any one or more of the following purpose areas: law enforcement, prosecution, courts, prevention, corrections, drug treatment, planning, evaluation and technology improvement.

Virginia’s application for JAG money is due at the Bureau of Justice Assistance on January 26, 2006. JAG soliticitation for locals will be posted as soon as the funding formula allocation has been determined.

Community Policing Fund Grants - 2006

Small grants (up to $3,500) to help develop or expand local community policing programs are now available through the Community Policing Fund Grant program - 2006. Funding for these grants comes from the Virginia Income Tax refund check-off program.

School Resource Officer (SRO) Grants

The bulk of DCJS funding for SRO positions has come from Byrne Grant money. Byrne funding for SROs peaked in FY03 when $3,451,000 was allocated to fund 93 SRO positions. In FY06, $372,070 was allocated to fund 10 positions. Information about the possibility of FY07 JAG-funded continuation grants will be posted on the LES Section webpage as soon as possible.

Since 1999, LES has awarded School Resource Officer grants to Virginia localities through the School Resource Officer Incentive Grants Fund (state funds). Incentive Grant funding for SROs peaked in FY02, when $2,987,000 was allocated to fund 71 SRO positions. Incentive Grant funds fo FY06 total $1,712,000 and fund 41 SRO positions.

Virginia Law Enforcement Needs Assessment

In May 2002, DCJS conducted the May 2002 Law Enforcement Needs Survey in order to identify the needs of law enforcement agencies in Virginia over the next three to five years. View the analysis of that survey, (.pdf, 5 pages).

Further Information

If you have further questions about grant coordinators or the grants they administer, please contact Karen Suttles, LES Section Administrative Assistant at 804.371.0536.