Officer involved shootings are increasing across the nation. In Indiana, Byrne JAG funds support a project to provide training and equipment to Indiana State Police (ISP) Crime Scene Investigators in the forensic disciplines of crime scene and shooting incident reconstruction and bloodstain pattern analysis. These disciplines are necessary for proper analytical evaluations of shooting incidents in order to determine what happened and prove or disprove witness, suspect or victim accounts.
State Agency Administrator: Indiana Criminal Justice Institute
Law Enforcement; Policing; Investigation; Gun-Violence; Firearm
The Indiana State Police Methamphetamine Suppression Unit was created to combat the domestic production of methamphetamine in Indiana. Meth Suppression's mission is to provide proactive methamphetamine investigations, clandestine lab responses and methamphetamine specific training to all police agencies statewide.
Drugs; Law Enforcement; Police; Policing; Investigate
In Indiana, Byrne JAG funds are used to help case managers identify clients with mental health and addiction issues, help attorneys prepare diversion and sentencing plans, and refer clients to appropriate treatment providers and access services through Recovery Works.
Substance Abuse; Behavioral Health; Community; Supervision
In Indiana, Byrne JAG funds support a project to modernize communications amongst officers and across agencies by replacing the current paper-based system with laptop computers mounted inside police vehicles. Additionally, funds will be used to lessen the dependence on radio communication to run criminal histories and receive call notifications.
Law Enforcement; Police; Policing; Technology; Coordination
In Indiana, Byrne JAG funds are used to help case managers identify clients with mental health and addiction issues, help attorneys prepare diversion and sentencing plans, refer clients to appropriate treatment providers and other mental health services as well as access those services provided through Recovery Works.
Behavioral Health; Substance Abuse; Community; Supervision
In Indiana, Byrne JAG funds support the Madison/Delaware Counties Drug Task Force (MDCDTF). MDCDTF is a multi-jurisdictional task force combining efforts to combat illegal drug trafficking, distribution, manufacture and use. Byrne JAG funds are also used to support education and training opportunities as well as covert operational expenses.
MJTF; Drugs; Law Enforcement; Police; Policing
Byrne JAG funds in South Carolina are used to support the Sixteenth Circuit Solicitor's Office, Domestic Violence Unit. This project funds both an Assistant Solicitor and a Domestic Violence Investigator position. The project enables early intervention for victims, reduces prosecution time, and decreases offender recidivism.
Victim; Violent Crime; Investigation
Byrne JAG funds in South Carolina support the Midlands Gang Task Force, a multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force led by the Richland County Sheriff's Department. Agencies participating in this task force include the Richland County Sheriff's Department, the Columbia Police Department, the Forest Acres Police Department, the Irmo Police Department, the Cayce Department of Public Safety, the Benedict College Police Department, the Fifth Circuit Solicitor's Office, the University of South Carolina Police Department, the South Carolina Department of Corrections and the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services. The ongoing mission of the task force is to identify, investigate and prosecute individuals who participate in criminal gang activity within Richland County and its various municipalities. The Midlands Gang Task Force is currently in its fourth year of Byrne JAG funding. The participating agencies have been able to combine intelligence and investigative powers to enhance and streamline Richland County's gang investigations through this collaboration.
Gangs; Crime Prevention; Policing; Officer
North Carolina has hundreds of unsolved homicide cases that may have untested DNA evidence available for analysis. The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) will assign work funded by the Byrne JAG grant to as many as eight retirees, or Special Investigators. These workers all have experience with investigating homicides. They will collaborate with current law enforcement officers from different regions in North Carolina to analyze unsolved homicides and research whether or not DNA evidence is available for testing in these cases. By re-examining each of these investigations, it is possible that the work funded by this project may uncover untested DNA samples, allowing investigators to identify new leads in cases that have gone cold. Where possible, the NCSBI hopes to establish new leads, which could lead to additional charges, convictions and resolutions in these cases. Since October of 2017, the SBI has been focusing on specific unsolved homicide cases believed by investigators to have a high probability of resolution. Since the program began, investigators have been working on 34 additional cases across the state. Of those 34 cases, two have been closed following consultation with prosecutors. The other 32 cases are still in various stages of investigation, including four which have been presented to prosecutors for decisions or potential indictments. Additionally, since the program's inception, biological evidence from 14 cases has been submitted to various forensic laboratories, including the US Army Crime Lab, various private labs and the NC State Crime Laboratory. Lab analysis has resulted in the extraction of viable DNA profiles in 5 of those cases so far.
Cold Case; Prosecution; Murder; Victims; Forensics; Data; Investigator
In Utah, Byrne JAG funds support Salt Lake County's effort to make the expungement process more affordable and accessible to residents across the state. Byrne JAG funding will be used for three primary purposes; (1) to develop an online portal that will allow individuals to submit expungement petitions online; (2) to fund a part-time Expungement Navigator position, this person will be responsible for assisting any individual in Salt Lake County in need of expungement services, as well as screening individual cases, assisting with eligibility determination and application, and answering questions about next steps for individuals moving through this process; and (3) to cover the cost of the Utah expungement application and certificate fees for individuals who qualify for financial support.
State Agency Administrator: Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice
Operations; Technology Improvement; Case Management