Press release from U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Florida
WASHINGTON ― The Bureau of Justice Assistance, part of the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, has awarded nearly $290 million to help state, local, and tribal governments strengthen criminal justice operations and public safety efforts nationwide. In North Florida, U.S. Attorney John P. Heekin announced that law enforcement and related public safety organizations in the Northern District of Florida received nearly $12.5 million in grant funding.
Local awards include:
The funding includes awards made through the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program, the country’s primary source of federal justice funding for state and local jurisdictions, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. For more than two decades, the JAG program has supported core public safety needs, including personnel, equipment, supplies, technology, training, criminal justice and civil proceeding information systems, and other operational priorities. The program also funds initiatives designed to prevent crime and improve the work of prosecutors, courts, corrections agencies, and services for crime victims and witnesses.
“This funding strengthens our state, local, and tribal partners’ ability to address violent crime, support officers on the front lines, and keep our nation’s communities safe,” said Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr. “The JAG Program continues to provide essential resources that help jurisdictions meet today’s public safety threats and uphold the rule of law.”
U.S. Attorney Heekin said the grants reflect an important investment in public safety across the region. “Our state and local law enforcement partners are vital to my office’s mission to eradicate crime within the Northern District of Florida. Through these grant awards, the Department of Justice is making critical investments in the brave men and women of Florida’s law enforcement agencies who stand on the front lines in the fight against crime to keep our communities safe.”
Beyond the foundational uses of JAG funding, the Department of Justice also identified priority areas intended to encourage state and local agencies to work with federal law enforcement on urgent public safety issues. For Fiscal Year 2025, those areas of emphasis include combating violent crime, immigration enforcement, safe communities, and safe houses of worship.
BJA awarded more than $199 million in state JAG funding across 56 awards and more than $90 million in local JAG funding across 895 awards.
Examples of initiatives supported by these grants include:
- Providing specialized training to strengthen the prevention, detection, and response to human trafficking and to enhance proactive crime‑reduction efforts through improved officer readiness and increased patrol capacity.
- Enhancing local crime‑fighting efforts by integrating innovative technology, training, and equipment, and using comprehensive crime‑data analysis to guide decision‑making, measure performance, and strengthen strategies addressing violent crime and other public safety issues.
- Strengthening enforcement efforts by supporting investigations related to gang activity and narcotics through targeted operations carried out by specialized units.
- Improving officer safety and readiness by replacing outdated ballistic helmets with modern protective equipment used during high‑risk incidents, tactical operations, active threat responses, warrant service, civil disturbances, and other dangerous calls for service.
All recipients for both state and local JAG awards can be found here.
