On December 20, 2021, the Department of Justice announced that they would be opening up $1.6 billion in grant awards to law enforcement and public safety agencies across the county. The funds will be issued to agencies that are ready to work more efficiently, reduce violent crime faster than ever before, and strengthen their communities along the way.
The Office of Justice Programs is designed to provide training, technical support, and ongoing resources, such as grant funds, to improve our nation’s fight against crime and commitment to upholding the law and our rights. Yet all too often, agencies are unaware of or have overlooked the value that these programs can provide for their teams. A little education can go a long way, and hopefully this article will help your agency discover the possibilities for making your team even stronger!
OJP Grant Awards to Reduce Crime and Build True Interoperability
As explained by Attorney General Garland, “This latest round of funding will deliver critical public safety resources, helping public safety professionals, victim service providers, local agencies, and nonprofit organizations confront these serious challenges.”
Moving toward true interoperability has proven to be the most logical “next step” for advancing public safety and reducing crime. When agencies can connect with other first responders and law enforcement throughout their region and even across their state, they become more effective in addressing the safety concerns that affect their communities most.
In order to achieve interoperability, though, agencies need a communications solution that finally puts everyone on the same page, collaborating in one single place. That solution is Genasys Protect CONNECT (formerly Evertel). And it’s arguably the most relevant and meaningful resource for agencies to present to the DOJ to secure these new grant funds. Because CONNECT allows agencies to pursue new means of interoperability and work more efficiently, the solution clearly answers the primary goals of the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants Program, in particular:
- Working faster to prevent and reduce crime
- Advancing racial equity in the pursuit of justice
- Caring for victims and enhancing the rule of law
Adopting the CONNECT app as your agency’s go-to platform for communications not only helps instantly align your process with the state and federal records retention requirements, but it also allows you to streamline your public safety efforts across the board. Your officers and management will be sharing intelligence in real time, which means faster responses and better coordination. You’ll be able to seamlessly collaborate with your neighboring agencies to address violent crime, pool your resources, and increase officer safety across the board.
The Solution for Law Enforcement That Finally Makes Sense.
It’s Easy to Get Started. We Can Help!
Law enforcement needs a secure communications solution that’s actually compliant and custom-built for this industry and line of work. What’s more, we need a platform that provides instant messaging. Reducing crime in our communities starts with great collaboration and communication. Less radio chatter. No more endless email chains.
The CONNECT app lets you organize all of your conversations in designated chatrooms. This makes it simple to establish a clear chain of command for any investigation, as well as disaster and crisis events. Team members can even review any and all of the updates that occurred while off-shift. That way, no one is ever left out of the loop.
It’s time to secure new grant funding for your agency—with CONNECT. Just contact us to get started. Our team has already helped one client (based in Mississippi) secure funds from one of these grants for new agency funding. We’d be more than happy to work with your agency, too.
The grant application process is relatively straightforward. And we’ll make it even easier for you because we can reference our past success. Let us show you how to author the grant for the best possible outcome!
