The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has traditionally served as the law enforcement arm of the United States government. The Department, which contains a myriad of functional subdivisions that includes the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), among others, currently provides about 100 grant programs for a range of law enforcement- related activities.  It is important to note, however, that many of these programs will be changing in the coming months with the enactment of Homeland Security legislation.  Most notable of these changes are the movement of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms from the U.S. Treasury to DOJ, and the movement of the Office of Domestic Preparedness out of DOJ and into the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).  In addition, the Office of Science and Technology of the National Institute of Justice will be abolished, and all of its former functions will move to the Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) of the DHS.

This report details the Federal grants for mitigation projects by agency association.  These grants specifically focus on terrorism preparedness and prevention.

The Office of Justice Programs (OJP)
This office provides policy coordination and general management authority over the Office of Justice Programs, which includes the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and the Office for Victims of Crime.’  DOJ also states that ‘While each OJP Bureau and Office retains independent authority in awarding funds to carry out its programs, together these components function as a single agency whose goal is to promote innovative programs and to foster improvements in the Nation's criminal and juvenile justice systems.’

The following four grants, authorized under the U.S Patriot Act (2001), serve to enhance the capacity of State and local first responders to respond to weapons of mass destruction terrorism involving chemical, biological, nuclear, radiological, incendiary or explosive devices.  

State Domestic Preparedness Equipment Support Program
These formula grants, available to all States and territories, will be provided to conduct comprehensive threat and needs assessments and to develop and implement a Statewide Domestic Preparedness Strategy to enhance first responder capabilities to respond to a WMD terrorist incident. States will also receive an allocation of funds to purchase equipment for State and local first responders, in accordance with the authorized equipment list included in the Application Kit, and an allocation to support the planning and conduct of exercises.  These grants are allocated to the States on the basis of a formula that provides a base amount to each State, with the balance of the funds distributed on the basis of population. There is no match requirement.  Over $526 million was awarded for by this program in 2002.

State and Local Domestic Preparedness Training Program
This project grant, available to State and local governments, is provided to support the training of first responders in order to increase their ability to respond to events resulting from terrorist acts.  These grants can be used to support individuals for training, or the development of training programs and training centers.  There is no matching requirement for this grant, which may be used over a three-year period from the award date.  Almost $60 million was awarded by this program in 2002.

State and Local Domestic Preparedness Exercise Support
Like its name suggests, this project grant is used to support the planning and conducting of exercises at the National, State, and local levels.  The grantees can be either public or private organizations, as long as they have the expertise and experience required to provide assistance in facilitating, conducting, and/or evaluating these exercises.  There is no matching requirement for this grant, which also may be used over a three-year period from the award date.  Almost $53 million was awarded through these grants in 2002.

State and Local Domestic Preparedness Technical Assistance
These project grants aim to enhance the ability of State and local jurisdictions to develop, plan and implement a program for WMD preparedness and to sustain and maintain specialized equipment that serves this purpose.  Awardees can be public or private organizations that, as in the previous grant, have the expertise and experience necessary to enhance the capacity of the State and local jurisdictions to respond to terrorist incidents involving weapons of mass destruction.  Also as above, these grants have no match and can be used over a three-year period.  More than $8 million was awarded through these grants in 2002.
 
Bureau of Justice Assistance
Administers programs designed to assist State and local governments with drug, crime, and violence control and prevention efforts, as well as criminal justice system improvements. The Edward Byrne Memorial State and Local Law enforcement Assistance Program, which was established by the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, provides assistance to States to ‘subgrant’ funds to locals in 26 broad purpose areas, as well as limited discretionary grant funds. The Public Safety Officers' Benefits Programs, the Regional Information Sharing Systems, the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program, and the Local Law Enforcement Block Grants Program are also part of BJA's portfolio. Through its programs, BJA serves as a partner with State and local criminal justice systems. Program innovations of State and locals from across the country are tested, translated into implementation strategies, and demonstrated. Training and technical assistance on program development, implementation, evaluation, and site specific problems are available to State and local agencies. Currently, BJA is providing broad assistance in the areas of community justice and strategic planning.

State and Local Anti-Terrorism Training
This grant was authorized by the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (1996), to provide delivery of specialized, multiagency anti- terrorism preparedness training.  State and Local law enforcement and prosecution authorities can apply for these grants to provide advisory services or counseling, dissemination of technical information, or training.  The awards are intended to: 1) provide state and local law enforcement a general awareness and working knowledge of domestic terrorist and "political" extremist movements; 2) disseminate information relating to vital elements of law enforcement anti-terrorism preparedness and readiness; 3) provide a general planning orientation to State and local law enforcement pertaining to crisis and consequence management and incident command, including essential elements requisite to conducting criminal investigations and prosecutions of terrorist threats and incidents; and 4) maintain and enhance a domestic terrorism public source database.  The awards require no match, and can be used during the twelve months following the date of award.  $1 million was provided for these grants in FY2002.

National Institute of Justice
Supports basic and applied research into criminal justice issues. Innovative approaches to controlling criminal behavior and improving law enforcement and criminal justice are tested and evaluated. Research results are disseminated through a wide variety of mechanisms including the quarterly "NIJ Reports" and a Research in Brief series designed for policy makers and criminal justice professionals. The Institute maintains a national and international clearinghouse on criminal justice issues. Its services are available to policymakers, criminal justice professionals, and the general public.

National Institute of Justice Domestic Anti-Terrorism Technology Development Program
These project grants were authorized by the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act (1968), as amended by the Anti-Drug Abuse Act (1988) and the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (1996).  They serve to support the development of counter terrorism technologies, assist in the development of standards for those technologies, and work with state and local jurisdictions to identify particular areas of vulnerability to terrorist acts and be better prepared to respond if such acts occur.  The recipients of these grants can be State or local governments, public, private, and non-profit organizations, and institutions of higher learning.  The grants have no matching requirements, and can last anywhere from six to eighteen months.  While over $79 million was made available for these grants in 2002, it is estimated that there will be only about $17 million available in 2003.

References Cited:
The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance – www.cfda.gov
The US Department of Justice – www.usdoj.gov
The Office of Justice Programs – www.ojp.usdoj.gov
National Institute of Justice – www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij