SEN. HARRY REID NEWS RELEASE:
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Nevada Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign today announced more than $5.9 million for law enforcement and public safety across the state. Benefiting from these funds are the Nevada Department of Public Safety, Carson City, the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents, the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, the Nevada Office of the Attorney General, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, Douglas County, the Washoe Tribe of Nevada, the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe, the Nevada Network Against Domestic Violence, the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes, Clark County and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
“I’m pleased to announce this funding that will enable law enforcement to better serve Nevada and keep us safe,” Reid said. “I’m especially happy to see that so much of this funding will go toward protecting women from violence.”
“We need to fix the economy in our state and create jobs for the thousands of Nevadans who are currently without employment,” said Ensign. “This grant funding will help to ensure that we can do this, while giving law enforcement the support they need to continue to protect the citizens of Nevada. I am pleased that programs aimed at combating violence against women are included with this important funding.”
Detailed grant information follows:
· Office on Violence Against Women Tech Assistance Program for National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges was awarded a grant in the amount of $500,000. The Office on Violence Against Women Office (OVW) Technical Assistance Program provides OVW grantees and subgrantees with the expertise and support they need to develop and implement successful state, local, tribal and campus projects; increase victim safety; and bolster offender accountability.
Through cooperative agreements, OVW supports educational initiatives, conferences, peer-to-peer consultations and targeted assistance that allow its grantees to learn from experts and one another about how to overcome obstacles and incorporate promising practices in their efforts to address violence against women. In addition, OVW is focused on building the capacity of criminal justice and victim services organizations to respond effectively to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking and to foster partnerships between organizations that have not traditionally worked together to address violence against women, such as faith- and community-based organizations.
· Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault and Stalking Program Grant for Douglas County
Douglas County was awarded a grant in the amount of $350,000. The grant funds are to be used to support programs that (1) identify, assess and appropriately respond to child, youth and adult victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking in rural communities by encouraging collaboration among domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking victim service providers; law enforcement agencies; prosecutors; courts; other criminal justice service providers; human and community service providers; educational institutions; and health care providers; (b) establish and expand nonprofit, nongovernmental, state, tribal, territorial and local government victim services in rural communities to child, youth and adult victims; and (c) increase the safety and well-being of women and children in rural communities by dealing directly and immediately with domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking occurring in rural communities; and creating and implementing strategies to increase awareness and prevent domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking.
· Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents
The Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents was awarded a grant in the amount of $299,960. The board plans to utilize these funds to create a program to reduce domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking on campus.
The program provides a unique opportunity for institutions of higher education to establish multidisciplinary consortia to combat violent crimes against women on campuses. These comprehensive efforts are designed to enhance victim services, implement prevention and education programs, and develop and strengthen security and investigation strategies in order to prevent, prosecute and respond to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking crimes on campuses.
In keeping with developing a coordinated community response, the campus program mandates that each campus establish a mandatory prevention and education program about domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking for all incoming students, working in collaboration with campus and community-based victim advocacy organizations; train campus police to respond effectively in dating violence, sexual assault and stalking cases; and develop or strengthen programs to train members of campus disciplinary boards to respond effectively to charges of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking.
The campus program also helps strengthen programs that support the overall mission to reduce crimes against women on campus such as bystander programs, peer education models, men’s education courses, athletic and fraternity training initiatives and social norming campaigns.
· Transitional Housing Grant Program for Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe
The Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe was awarded a grant in the amount of $250,000. The Transitional Housing Assistance Grants for Victims of Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Stalking, or Sexual Assault Program implements certain provisions of the Prosecutorial Remedies and Other Tools to End the Exploitation of Children Today Act of 2003 (the PROTECT Act) and the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005.
The primary purpose of the program is to provide assistance to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking who are homeless or in need of transitional housing or other housing assistance, including short-term housing assistance and supportive services, and for whom emergency shelter services or other crisis intervention services are unavailable or insufficient.
The Transitional Housing Assistance Program grant funds must be used to support programs that (a) provide transitional housing, including funding for the operating expenses of newly developed or existing transitional housing; (b) provide short-term housing assistance, including rental or utilities payments assistance and assistance with related expenses such as payment of security deposits and other costs incidental to relocation to transitional housing; and/or (c) provide support services designed to enable individuals who are fleeing domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault or stalking to locate and secure permanent housing and integrate into a community by providing those individuals with services such as transportation, counseling, child care services, case management, employment counseling and other assistance.
· Nevada Office of the Attorney General
The Grants to Encourage Arrest Policies and Enforcement of Protection Orders Program (Arrest) implements certain provisions of the Violence Against Women Act, which was enacted in September 1994 as Title IV of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, reauthorized in the Violence Against Women Act of 2000 and the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005.
The program enhances victim safety and offender accountability in cases of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking by encouraging jurisdictions to implement pro-arrest policies as an effective intervention that is part of a coordinated community response. An integral component of Arrest Program initiatives is the creation and enhancement of collaborative partnerships between criminal justice agencies, victim services providers and community organizations which respond to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking.
· FY 2009 NICS Act Record Improvement Program funds for Nevada Department of Public Safety
The Nevada Department of Public Safety (NVDPS) will use $798,471 in FY 2009 NICS Act Record Improvement Program funds to make enhancements to the state Criminal History Repository and to the Nevada Courts Assessment and Reporting. NVDPS will conduct the following three activities: (1) establish and coordinate a statewide, multi-agency NICS Record Task Force; (2) update and enhance existing Brady and NICS functionality including making improvements to the protection order system; and (3) create a web-based application to expedite Brady and NICS transactions. In conjunction, the Nevada Administrative Office of the Courts will actively work with NVDPS to conduct several site visits to assess court business operations and reporting for different regions of Nevada in order to improve the collection and exchange of criminal information.
· Carson City
Carson City will receive $329,032 from the FY09 Drug Court Discretionary Grant Program. The Drug Court Discretionary Grant Program is designed to assist states, state courts, local courts, units of local government and Indian tribal governments in developing and establishing drug courts for substance-abusing adult and juvenile offenders. Drug court programs funded by the Drug Court Discretionary Grant Program are required by law to target nonviolent offenders. The program supports the following activities: adult drug court implementation, single jurisdiction drug court enhancement, statewide drug court enhancement and planning efforts.
The city of Carson City in collaboration with the Carson City District Attorney’s Office, the State Public Defender, local treatment providers and the Departments of Alternative Sentencing in Carson City will use Drug Court Enhancement funds to design and implement a DUI Court.
· Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault and Stalking Assistance Program for the Nevada Network against Domestic Violence
The Nevada Network against Domestic Violence was awarded a grant in the amount of $675,000. The Nevada Network plans to use the funds to support programs that identify, assess and appropriately respond to child, youth and adult victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking in rural communities. It will encourage collaboration among domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking victim service providers; law enforcement agencies; prosecutors; courts; other criminal justice service providers; human and community service providers; educational institutions; and health care providers.
It will establish and expand nonprofit, nongovernmental, state, tribal, territorial and local government victim services in rural communities to child, youth and adult victims, and it will increase the safety and well-being of women and children in rural communities by dealing directly and immediately with domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking. It also will create and implement strategies to increase awareness and prevent domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking.
· Office on Violence Against Women Technical Assistance Program for the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges was awarded a grant in the amount of $200,000. The Council will utilize the funds to establish a Violence against Women Technical Assistance Program. The Office on Violence Against Women Office (OVW) Technical Assistance Program provides OVW grantees and subgrantees with the expertise and support they need to develop and implement successful state, local, tribal and campus projects; increase victim safety; and bolster offender accountability.
Through cooperative agreements, OVW supports educational initiatives, conferences, peer-to-peer consultations and targeted assistance that allow its grantees to learn from experts and one another about how to overcome obstacles and incorporate promising practices in their efforts to address violence against women. In addition, OVW is focused on building the capacity of criminal justice and victim services organizations to respond effectively to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking and to foster partnerships between organizations that have not traditionally worked together to address violence against women, such as faith- and community-based organizations.
· Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault and Stalking Assistance Program for Shoshone-Paiute Tribes
The Shoshone-Paiute Tribes were awarded a grant in the amount of $350,000. The tribes plan to make use of the funds with a program that helps prevent violence against women. Rural Program grant funds are used to support programs that identify, assess and appropriately respond to child, youth and adult victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking in rural communities, by encouraging collaboration among domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking victim service providers, law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, courts, other criminal justice service providers, human and community service providers, educational institutions and health care providers.
They are used to establish and expand nonprofit, nongovernmental, state, tribal, territorial and local government victim services in rural communities to child, youth and adult victims and to increase the safety and well-being of women and children in rural communities by dealing directly and immediately with domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking and by creating and implementing strategies to increase awareness and prevent domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking.
· Nevada Network Against Domestic Violence
Recently, the Nevada Network against Domestic Violence was awarded a grant in the amount of $84,821. The network will use these funds to set up a sexual assault services program.
The program encompasses five different grant programs for states and territories, tribes, state sexual assault coalitions, tribal sexual assault coalitions and culturally specific organizations. Overall, the purpose of the program is to provide intervention, advocacy, accompaniment, support services and related assistance for adult, youth and child victims of sexual assault, family and household members of victims and those collaterally affected by the sexual assault.
Congress, OVW and victim advocates recognized the need to focus on sexual assault in order to address the national prevalence of sexual assault, lack of available direct intervention and related assistance services and unique aspects of sexual assault trauma from which victims must heal. The SASP will support such services through the establishment, maintenance and expansion of state and territorial sexual assault coalitions and other programs and projects to assist those victimized by sexual assault.
· Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe
The Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe was awarded a grant in the amount of $569,667. The Tribe plans to utilize the funds so they can fulfill the three goals of Title 9: to decrease the incidence of violent crime against Indian women; to strengthen the capacity of Indian tribes to exercise their sovereign authority to respond to violent crimes committed against Indian women; and to ensure that perpetrators of violent crimes committed against Indian women are held accountable for their criminal behavior.
· Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California
The Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California was awarded a grant in the amount of $630,667. Like the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe, the Washoe Tribe plans to utilize the funds so they can fulfill the three goals of Title 9.
For more information about these grants, contact the Office of Justice Program’s Office of Communications at 202-307-0703.
