U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services Awards Nearly $18 Million to Combat Violence Due to Methamphetamine, Heroin and Gangs

U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services Awards Nearly $18 Million to Combat Violence Due to Methamphetamine, Heroin and Gangs

Deputy Attorney General Sally Quillian Yates today announced nearly $18 million in COPS Office grant funding aimed at addressing and reducing violent crime through programs focused on methamphetamine use and production, the distribution of heroin and other opioids and gang activity.

“The funding awarded through these COPS Office initiatives will expand the capacity of the recipients, including some of our local partners, to proactively address contributors to violent crime and increase public safety,” said Deputy Attorney General Yates.

“We look forward to the work of our local and state law enforcement partners,” said COPS Office Director Ronald Davis. “By getting methamphetamine off the streets and shutting down laboratories, investigating illicit activities related to the distribution of heroin or unlawful distribution of prescriptive opioids, and combating gang activity through enforcement, prevention, education and intervention, we can make the country safer for everyone.”

The COPS Office is awarding more than $6.1 million under the COPS Anti-Methamphetamine Program to seven state-level law enforcement agencies dealing with high seizures of precursor chemicals, finished methamphetamine and laboratories. The agencies will use the funds to investigate illicit activities related to the manufacture and distribution of methamphetamine. For more information about the COPS Anti-Methamphetamine Program and a list of grant recipients, visit http://cops.usdoj.gov/Default.asp?Item=2716.

Under the COPS Anti-Heroin Task Force Program, the COPS Office is awarding close to $5.8 million to six state-level law enforcement agencies to investigate illicit activities related to the distribution of heroin or unlawful distribution of prescriptive opioids. The goal of the program is to address the troubling trend of increases in heroin seizures and heroin-related overdose deaths. For more information about the COPS Anti-Heroin Task Force Program and a list of grant recipients, visit http://cops.usdoj.gov/Default.asp?Item=2776.

Under the COPS Anti-Gang Initiative, the COPS Office is awarding close to $5.8 million to nine multijurisdictional task forces to address gang activity. The initiative focuses on combating gang activity through enforcement, prevention, education and intervention. All the award recipients under this initiative are agencies leading multijurisdictional partnerships between federal, state and local law enforcement to address all forms of gang activity. For more information about the COPS Anti-Gang Initiative and a list of grant recipients, visit http://cops.usdoj.gov/Default.asp?Item=2775.

The COPS Office, headed by Director Ronald Davis, is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1995, COPS has invested more than $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of more than 127,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training, and technical assistance. For additional information about COPS, please visit www.cops.usdoj.gov.