The Ferguson Group Blog

Just Announced: COPS Grants Available for FY 2014

On May 22, the United States Department of Justice announced open solicitations for a series of COPS (Community Oriented Policing Services) Grant Programs available for FY 2014. Applications must be submitted via the COPS Office Online Application System by June 23, 2014. Recent solicitations include:

The COPS Hiring Program (CHP), whichprovides funding to hire police officers, with additional consideration for the hiring of police officers to focus on selected community policing issues. Applicants may request funds to hire new officers, rehire recently laid-off officers, or maintain officers scheduled to be laid-off. Read more.

The COPS Community Policing Development (CPD) Program, which provides funding to advance the practice of community policing in law enforcement agencies through training and technical assistance, the development of innovative community policing strategies, demonstration projects, applied research, guidebooks, and best practices that are national in scope and responsive to the solicitation topic requirements. The COPS Office, a federal provider of innovative, customer-focused resources that address the continuing and emerging needs of those engaged in enhancing public safety through community policing, has designed the CPD solicitation to address critical topics in the law enforcement field by building on the principles of community policing. Read more.

The Collaborative Reform Initiative for Technical Assistance (CRI-TA) Program, provides funding to technical assistance providers to work with law enforcement agencies to assess issues that affect police and community relationships. The COPS Office, a federal provider of innovative, customer-focused resources, has designed CRI-TA to provide a unique service to law enforcement agencies by focusing on the importance of the community perspective in state, local, territory, or tribal law enforcement issues. CRI-TA adopts a comprehensive approach that can enhance the relationship between law enforcement and the citizens they serve. Read more.

Bill Seeks to End HIV Discrimination

Legislation introduced recently would expand federal programs to review and seek to end policies and laws that criminalize the transmission of HIV and lead to our sources of discrimination against HIV+ people. On Monday, Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) introduced the “Repeal Existing Policies that Encourage and Allow Legal (“REPEAL”) HIV Discrimination Act,” which would require an interagency review of federal and state laws that criminalize certain actions by people living with HIV. It is companion legislation to a bill introduced this summer by Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA), a champion of HIV/AIDS issues in the Congress.  

Activist and advocates say that the legislation is urgently needed since 32 states have laws that in various ways use a person’s HIV status to help with criminal convictions. The laws date back to the passage in 1990 of the Ryan White CARE Act, the first national response to the AIDS epidemic. The Care Act included a requirement that states criminalize the transmission of HIV as a pre-condition for receiving funding. Less than half of the states and territories have subsequently repealed those provisions (no longer required to receive Ryan White funds). Senator Coons said, “There are places in this country where state and local laws make it similar to assault with a deadly weapon for somebody with HIV/AIDS to spit on someone, for example. That’s based on an outdated unscientific fear that fed lots of discrimination.” The Center for HIV Law and Policy completed a study showing that in the past two years, there have been 80 know prosecutions “in which HIV-positive people have been arrested and/or prosecuted for consensual sex, biting, and spitting.”  Recent passage of the HOPE Act, bi-partisan bill that allowed organ donations among HIV+ people, has given congressional sponsors and activists encouragement that the REPEAL Act can be passed and sent to the President for signature. The HOPE Act passed by unanimous consent in both chambers. 

Give Local Law Enforcement the Credit they Deserve

If your local law enforcement agency is doing excellent work to promote the quality of life in your community, consider nominating them for the  Webber Seavey Award, which is Jointly sponsored by International Association of Chiefs of Police and Motorola. The award is named for Webber S. Seavey, the IACP's first president.

The program annually honors achievements in one or more of the following areas:

• Continually improving services to the community;
• Strengthening police relations and promoting community participation;
• Effectively using resources;
• Enhancing communications within and cooperation among agencies;
• Developing creative and innovative approaches that promote excellence in law enforcement.

Don’t delay – applications are due this Friday!

Federal Agencies Want YOU To Be A Grant Reviewer

Are you looking to increase your chances of submitting a successful grant application? If so, you should consider becoming a federal grant reviewer!

Most agencies like to engage grant peer-reviewers from various fields to read applications and provide an analysis and rating of the quality of each grant application based upon the application requirements and selection criteria.

The grant review experience will help you gain knowledge in preparing grant applications and provide you with an in-depth look at the grant evaluation process.  It also gives you the opportunity to network with other professionals in your field and federal officials. Being a grant reviewer will expose you to new ideas that you may be able to bring back and implement in your own profession or agency.

Each agency has a different process, and some even offer compensation for your time and efforts. Highlighted below are some of the key offices and/or divisions within federal agencies that are seeking peer reviewers and a brief narrative on how to get involved.  

Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)

The BJA looks for peer reviewers with expertise in a broad range of criminal justice backgrounds including but not limited to crime prevention, adjudication, law enforcement and gangs, tribal justice, corrections, research and statistics, information, technology and social services. Participants will review remotely but are required to participate in an orientation call before beginning their reviews.  Reviewers will score 10-20 applications within 2 weeks, and are paid $125 per application.  To become a reviewer, you can submit a current resume including an e-mail address to Chris Casto at [email protected], and for more information you can visit their website by clicking here.

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)

The OJJDP is seeking researchers and practitioners with expertise related to the juvenile justice field.  Those interested are asked to email their current resume along with a brief explanation of their justice-related knowledge and experience (gangs, substance abuse, mentoring, tribal juvenile justice, etc.) to [email protected].  Reviewers will be compensated for their services.  Additional information can be found on OJJDP’s website under funding inquiries.

Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), Office of Justice Program (OJP), DOJ

The OJP seeks qualified professionals to evaluate grant applications based on the specialist’s expertise, demographics and prior experience as a reviewer.  A reviewer generally has 2-4 weeks to review 10-30 applications and is asked to participate in a webinar, call, or in-person peer review that lasts 1-2 days.  Non-federal reviewers are compensated $125 per application. To start the process or for more information, email the OJP at [email protected], and visit their website.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

The EPA conducts peer review on applications submitted in response to extramural research competitions.  To become a reviewer, experts may nominate themselves to be part of the Peer Reviewer Information System (PRIS) by sending an email request including brief curriculum vitae to Benjamin Packard, [email protected].  For more information on becoming an EPA reviewer, click here.

Department of Transportation (DOT)

The Department of Transportation does have grant reviewers for specific grant programs.  For more information on those grants, you can visit DOT’s website here.

Department of Labor (DOL)

To become a reviewer, prospective panelists must complete a panelist profile including contact information, your area of expertise, a brief bio and an updated resume. Secondly, one must complete an online training module and lastly, must rate a sample grant application and document evaluative feedback in a Panelist Rating Workbook. Each panelist can expect a workload of 10-15 applications. You can register online, or can contact Linda Metchikoff-Hooker, a DOL contractor for the grant reviewing process at (714) 434-3553 or [email protected].

Institute of Museum and Library Science (IMLS)

The IMLS urges future reviewers to familiarize themselves with IMLS grant programs and read existing reviewer handbooks before considering becoming a panelist. IMLS looks for museum reviewers and library reviewers, each expertise deals with different grants.  If you are still interested, your information can be submitted online or you can contact the IMLS Office of Library Services at (202) 653- 4700 or [email protected].

National Institute of Health (NIH)

The NIH looks for peer reviewers who have previously received grant support for the NIH as well as scientists who are well-qualified and accomplished to review applications for funding and R&D contract proposals.  To be added to the database of reviewer volunteers, email [email protected] with 1-2 sentences describing you area of expertise and a copy of a brief bio. Additional information can be found here.

Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS)

The CNCS looks for reviewers with at least 5 years of experience in a field such as education, research, analysis, literacy, human services, nonprofit, grant writing, public health and environment.  To become a reviewer, you must complete an online application. If you have any questions, you can contact CNCS at [email protected].  For basic information on becoming a peer reviewer, visit their website.

Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) at U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

HRSA looks for grant reviewers with expertise in HIV/AIDS, organ transplant, rural health, primary care for underserved people, maternal and child health and health professions training.  These grant reviews are usually held in Washington, DC for 3 to 5 days, while some are conducted via teleconference or independently reviewed remotely.  If travel is necessary, HRSA makes arrangements and pays for travel expenses.  Reviewers receive an honorarium for their services.  For information on being a reviewer and how to apply, click here, or for inquiries on the process, you can contact the HRSA at [email protected].

Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at HHS

At the ACF there are opportunities to be a grant reviewer for ACF programs such as the Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF), the Administration for Native Americans (ANA), Administration on Developmental Disabilities (ADD), the Office of Community Services (OCS), the Office of Family Assistance Child Care Bureau (CCB) and the Office of Head Start (OHS).  Each program has a different way to apply to be a grant reviewer.  For more information, click here.

Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

The ONDCP and the SAMHSA look for reviewers with experience and knowledge in mental health services, community-based system of care and services for adults with mental illnesses, children with serious emotional disturbances, substance abuse prevention and substance abuse treatment services, programs and activities.  If chosen, reviewers are for selected for particular grant programs based on their knowledge, education and experience.  Some grant reviews will require on site meetings usually in Washington, DC, however it varies depending on the grant being reviewed.  The reviewers receive taxable compensation for their services.  For more information, visit SAMHSA’s website.  To apply, you can fill out a reviewer contact form online or download the form at the bottom of the given website.  To email the form and submit your resume electronically, email [email protected].

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Firefighter Grant

In the case of FEMA firefighter grant peer review opportunities, FEMA directly contacts the National Association of State Fire Marshalls.  The Association then contacts stations in the area that would be of assistance.   

Gear Up for Grants for Your Fire Department

The FEMA Grants Office has begun to announce awards for the FY 2012 Fire Protection and Safety (FP&S) grant program, and has released a tentative timeline for FY 2013 solicitations.  In June, the SAFER application period will open – providing an opportunity to secure funds for personnel.  In July/August, the Assistance to Firefighters Grant application period will open – an opportunity to secure technology and equipment funds.  Finally, the FY 2013 FP&S grant program will open in the fall/winter – an opportunity to secure funds to enhance the safety of the public and firefighters from fire and related hazards.  Click here for more on FEMA Grants.

COPS Hiring Program Is Now Open – It’s Time to Get Your Applications In!

The Department of Justice announced this week that the application period for the 2013 COPS Hiring Program (CHP) is now open. The Cops Hiring Program is a competitive grant program that provides funding directly to state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies having primary law enforcement authority for the hiring or re-hiring of additional officers to impact their community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts.

CHP grants will provide up to 75 percent of the approved entry-level salaries and fringe benefits of full-time officers for a 36-month period; with a minimum 25 percent local match requirement and a maximum federal share of $125,000 per officer position. Grant funds may be used to hire new, full-time sworn officer positions, to re-hire officers who have been laid off, or to re-hire officers who are scheduled to be laid off on a specific future date as a result of local budget cuts. As in the past, CHP requires that each position awarded be retained with local funds for a minimum of 12 months at the conclusion of 36 months of federal funding for each position.

A few differences to note in the 2013 CHP grant round are:

• New hire officer positions are not required to be military veterans; however applicants who commit to hiring or rehiring veterans will receive additional consideration.
• Applicants that focus on homicide and/or gun violence as their community policing problem area will receive additional consideration.
• Applicants that request officer positions in order to deploy School Resource Officers (SRO) will also receive additional consideration.

Applications are due on May 22, 2013. To obtain a copy of the application guide, click here.

Receive Alerts on Funding, Webinars, etc., from Federal Agencies

Want to receive automatic updates and alerts on activities going on in federal agencies, without checking their sites each time? You can sign up for email alerts for weekly or daily newsletters from most federal agencies without a hassle – just give them your email address and they will automatically send you newsletters, updating you on funding, new webinars, headlines, and publications. In general, look on the agency’s homepage for links titled “email updates” or something of that nature. If not, you can look for their RSS feed, which should be on the homepage, or any links indicating any connections through media, such as Facebook pages, twitter handles, YouTube channels, etc.

 

Here are some direction and links to federal agencies with email updates.

EPA: Environmental Protection Agency http://www.epa.gov/

-At the home page, scroll down the left side until you see a picture of the United States. Under the heading “I am a…”, click your applicable identity.

- If you say “state, local official”, it will take you a page called “EPA for State and Local Governments”. Look on the right hand side for “EPA News”, and then under that, “Get any combination of EPA national and regional news releases e-mailed to you”.

- Click on whatever region suits your local government. From there, a pop up window will appear where you will enter your address. You can customize your email delivery preference and password if you would like

-After clicking ‘Finish’, you can customize your subscription topics to what interests you.

DOT: Department of Transportation http://www.dot.gov/ 

-Scroll to the bottom of the page, and look to the first column on the left hand side. Click on ‘Subscribe to Email Updates’.

-Enter your email address and create a password, if you wish.

-After, you can choose whatever updates interest you – news, initiatives, legislation, etc.

*For news about Grants, click the “Acquisitions & Grants News” under the “News” tab.

DOE: Department of Energy http://energy.gov/

-Scroll down to the bottom of the homepage to ‘Email Updates’, located in the light green strip under the videos in the dark grey bar

-Subscribe by entering your email address

-Wait to receive an email from the Department of Energy; click on the link within the email

-You then have the option to manage your preferences, which allows you to put in your full name and zip code

DOJ: Department of Justice http://www.justice.gov/

-At the homepage, scroll down and look on the right side of the page for a box titled ‘Stay Connected’. Once identified, click the link to sign up for e-mail updates

-To start your subscription, click on the tan link titled ‘Start, Change or Cancel Your Subscription’. Click on the link they provide you.

-You can customize how many email updates they send you and add a password if you want.

-Subscribe to the updates based on your preferences.

*For updates on grants, click on “Access to Justice” and then click the box by ‘Grant Information’

NIH: National Institutes of Health http://www.nih.gov/

-Scroll down to the foot of the webpage and click on ‘e-mail updates’, near a turquoise @ sign

-Click on the blue ‘Subscribe’ link

-You can choose to receive updates by text or email, and can subscribe to any or all of the topics listed

NOAA (National Weather Service): National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration http://www.noaa.gov/

-For this federal agency, you can subscribe to an RSS feed which can be subscribed to by email (i.e. Microsoft Office Outlook) or as a live bookmark on your internet web browser of choice.

-An RSS feed will provide updates separated from your regular inbox if you subscribed by using an email application such as Microsoft Outlook.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Domestic Violence Awareness Month has become a time to celebrate survivors, encourage advocates, empower victims, and mourn the deaths of those lost to domestic violence. Around the country, communities are coming together this month to hold vigils, public awareness programs, survivor speak outs and take back the night marches, and town hall meetings.  As a result of federal resources authorized by Congress and provided through the Department of Justice - Office on Violence Against Women, among others, we have seen the development of specialized domestic law enforcement units and prosecution programs, as well specific programs to meet the needs of underserved communities.  Through the Department of Health and Human Services, we have also seen new research and an emphasis on the impact on children who have witnessed violence in the home. 

Building safe homes and safe communities requires shelter and housing, law enforcement protection, access to justice, and economic opportunity.  In December 2011, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the first-ever National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey which found that domestic violence affects more than 12 million people each year, nearly 1 in 5 women have been raped in their lifetime and 1 in 4 have been a victim of severe physical violence by an intimate partner.

What can you do?  Become knowledgeable about the facts, identify resources in your community and raise awareness.  Support victims who are rebuilding their lives. Support advocates with better resources and law enforcement tools. Support the passage of the Violence Against Women Act reauthorization bill currently pending in Congress. 

Get Involved! Take time to thank the hotline workers who work the night shift to be there around the clock for victims in need. Pay tribute to the shelter workers who show that they care every day and the law enforcement officers who treat victims with dignity and respect when they knock on a door. Acknowledge the prosecutors who take on tough cases and the doctors who screen their patients for domestic violence. Thank the community-based organizations that reach people in their neighborhoods and the faith leaders who speak out about ending domestic violence.

Make sure your city and county government have employee assistance workplace policies in place. Be an example for the private sector.  Domestic violence causes two million injuries each year, and an average of three women in the United States die each day as a result of domestic violence. The CDC estimates that domestic violence costs our nation $8 billion a year in lost productivity and health care costs alone, and other studies have suggested that the full economic impact is even higher.

Domestic violence remains a significant problem facing individuals, families and communities. While a disproportionate number of victims are women, domestic violence affects the entire family. Spend this October – Domestic Violence Month -- getting your own house in order and thanking those serving on the front line every day.

SCAAP Funds for “Unknown” Inmates to Continue Through FY12

Counties that currently receive funding from the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) for costs incurred from detaining an individual whom they believe to be an undocumented criminal alien can breathe a sigh of relief. In May, the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) announced that they would no longer provide reimbursement for inmates whose statuses are unknown and that only detention costs of undocumented criminal aliens, whose statuses can be confirmed by the Department of Homeland Security as such, would be counted towards the SCAAP awards in FY 2012.

Last week, the Department of Justice agreed to postpone the elimination of reimbursements for the unknown category of SCAAP inmates for one year, which includes the payment of FY 2012 SCAAP awards. While the postponement is positive news, the agency still intends to discontinue SCAAP payments for "unknown" inmates next year. By working with DHS over the coming year, communities are encouraged to increase their inmate alien status verifications, which will lessen the impact if these funds are ultimately discontinued.

Byrne JAG Program Awaiting Reauthorization Action in the Senate

Before the House left for August recess they passed the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program Reauthorization Act of 2012 (H.R. 6062). The Byrne JAG program provides invaluable flexible funding to state and local governments to help provide the necessary resources to fight crime and prevent victimization. Activities supported through this program include technology, crime prevention, prosecution, education, planning, corrections, treatment, and evaluation.

Under the current law, the Byrne JAG program is set to expire on September 30, 2012. H.R. 6062, sponsored by Rep. Marino (R-PA), would reauthorize the Byrne JAG program through Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 at $800 million per year.  The Byrne JAG program will need to be reauthorized before Congress can appropriate funds for next year.

Despite the looming expiration date, the House and Senate have both prioritized the program in their respective FY 2013 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations bills.  The House is proposing $370 million for the program in FY 2013, the same level as in FY 2012, while the Senate included $392 million for the Byrne JAG program in its bill.  The inclusion of funding in the proposed spending bills demonstrates that Congress understands the value of the Byrne JAG program.  Hopefully this means that the Senate will act quickly on the House approved version of the Byrne JAG Reauthorization bill when they return in September and an expiration of the program will be avoided.

Consider reaching out to your Senator to express the importance of this program to your community. Give your Senators examples of how your annual Byrne JAG funding allocations have helped deter and prevent crime in your community.