• By Byron Miller
• Posted Friday, July 1, 2011

Forsyth Co. Eligible to Receive $220,673 in JAG Funds

Forsyth County is eligible to apply for and receive grant funds awarded through the Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG). The JAG Program, administered by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), is the leading source of federal justice funding to state and local jurisdictions. The JAG Program provides states, tribes and local governments with critical funding necessary to support a range of program areas including law enforcement, prosecution, court, prevention and education, corrections and community corrections, drug treatment and enforcement, planning, evaluation, technology improvement and crime victim and witness initiatives.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) calculates, for each state and territory, a minimum base allocation which, based on the congressionally mandated JAG formula, can be enhanced by (1) the state’s share of the national population and (2) the state’s share of the country’s Part 1 violent crime statistics. Once the state funding is calculated, 60 percent of the allocation is awarded to the state and 40 percent to eligible units of local government.

The 2011 JAG Allocation for Forsyth County is $220,673, which will be shared by the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office and the Winston-Salem Police Department. The planned purpose for the use of these grant funds is being published to solicit any input the citizens of Forsyth County may wish to share.

The Winston-Salem Police Department plans to use $110,337 for three separate projects including the expansion of storage space on the Storage Area Network used to house critical data, Light Emitting Diode (LED) flashlights and Forward Looking Infrared(FLIR) imaging technology.

The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office plans to use $110,336 for the replacement of in-car digital video cameras which have reached their end-of-life as well as the server which supports the uploading and storage of captured video.

If you would like to share any comments or thoughts regarding this grant award and the planned use of these funds, please email your remarks to business@fcso.us.