Criminal
Justice

CAPCOG’s Criminal Justice Program is designated by the Office of the Governor’s Criminal Justice Division (CJD) for regional coordination efforts on the subject in the 10-county State Planning Region 12 area. The program provides technical assistance to applicants for CJD grant funding opportunities to include criminal justice, juvenile justice and victim services-related programming. CAPCOG’s Criminal Justice Program and Criminal Justice Advisory Committee review and update or create a regional strategic criminal justice plan annually. The program also facilitates the grant application scoring process through the Criminal Justice Advisory Committee. Each year application scoring done by the committee is based on local, regional and state priorities.

Plan Year 2021 | Office of the Governor, Criminal Justice Division, funding opportunities

The Plan Year (PY) 2021 started in September 2019 with a Criminal Justice Advisory Committee (CJAC) Meeting and community stakeholder survey. Four stakeholders meetings in October followed. Information about the survey and stakeholders meetings are below. Funding opportunities that CAPCOG helps administer for PY2021 include the following programs:

• General Victim Assistance Direct Service Program — Formerly General Victim Assistance Program (VOCA)
• Violence Against Women Justice and Training Program
• Juvenile Justice and Truancy Prevention Grant Program
• Criminal Justice Program — Formerly Justice Assistance Grants (JAG)

The able below provides some quick details about the four criminal justice funding opportunities as provided by the Office of the Governor.

Go to the egrants.gov.texas.gov funding schedule for additional information from the Office of the Governor.
(Note: There has been instances when the OOG has amended RFAs. CAPCOG will update an RFA here as soon as it is made aware of such changes. However, it is best to download the RFAs from egrants.)

Read more about CJD

Plan Year 2021 Timeline and Meetings

Get the Updated Plan Year 2021 Timeline

Criminal Justice Advisory Committee Grant Scoring Meetings – Completed

The CAPCOG CJAC will review and prioritize each grant application that organizations from the 10-county region submitted to the state during three meetings from April 14 to April 16. Each grant applicant will be able to present their proposed projects to the CJAC during this time.

These meetings will be held virtual using GoToMeeting. Committee members, grant applicants and the public can access each of the meetings at https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/408491437 or by calling 646-749-3122 and then using the Access Code: 408-491-437.

See the following meeting times and the presentation schedules:

9:30-10:45 a.m., April 14, Violence Against Women Justice and Training Program prioritization meeting

Review the presentation schedule.

10:45 a.m.-5 p.m. April 14, General Victim Assistance Direct Services Program prioritization meeting

Review the presentation schedule.

9:15 a.m.-5 p.m. April 15 Criminal Justice Program prioritization meeting

Schedule coming soon.

9:15-11:45 a.m., April 16, Truancy Prevention Program Applications prioritization meeting

Review the presentation schedule.

12:15-5 p.m., April 16, Juvenile Justice Application prioritization meeting

Review the presentation schedule.

Review the grant applications. The grant IDs on the schedules match the file names of the grants posted in each of program’s folder.

For questions and concerns about the schedules and meetings, please contact Matt Holderread.

Criminal Justice Mandatory Grant Workshop – Completed

CAPCOG has scheduled three mandatory grant writing workshops for entities applying for Office of the Governor, CJD funding opportunities for plan year 2021. The workshops cover what entities are eligible to apply, eligible activities, application requirements, funding periods, regulations, certifications and other grant rules for each funding source. Attendees will be instructed on completing grant applications and how applications will be scored.

Each entity planning to apply for criminal justice funding from the four grant program areas must attend one of the workshops being held at the following times and locations:

1-4 p.m., Friday, January 10, 2020
Elgin Parks & Recreation Center
361 North TX-95
Elgin, Texas 78621
Register for the workshop.

1-4 p.m., Thursday, January 16, 2020
Blanco County Court House – Hoppe Room
101 E Pecan Drive
Johnson City, Texas 78636
Register for the workshop.

9 a.m.-noon, Wednesday, January 22, 2020
Capital Area Council of Governments – Pecan Room
6800 Burleson Road
Building 310, Suite 165
Austin, Texas 78744
Register for the workshop.

Stakeholders Meetings – Completed

CAPCOG and its Criminal Justice Advisory Committee (CJAC) are preparing for the upcoming grant cycle for the Office of the Governor, Criminal Justice Division’s Plan Year 2021. They are seeking input to update CAPCOG’s Regional Strategic Criminal Justice Plan. At four stakeholder meetings, stakeholders will hear a presentation on relevant criminal justice information and discuss priorities with other stakeholders. Stakeholders will be asked to come up with priorities in different areas of criminal justice, as well as identify the top five priorities for the region.

The meetings will be held at the following times:

9-10:30 a.m., Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2019
CAPCOG Pecan Room 6800 Burleson Road
Building 310, Suite 165
Austin, TX 78744

1:30-3 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2019
CAPCOG Pecan Room
6800 Burleson Road
Building 310, Suite 16
Austin, TX 78744

10-11:30 a.m., Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019
CAPCOG Pecan Room
6800 Burleson Road
Building 310, Suite 165 Austin, TX 78744

2-3:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019
CAPCOG Pecan Room
6800 Burleson Road
Building 310, Suite 165
Austin, TX 78744

Regional Needs Survey – Completed

Due to meeting space limitations, CAPCOG must limit attendance to 25 per meeting. Please register to reserve your seat. If you are unable to attend either meeting but wish to be involved, please complete the below survey by Sunday, Sept. 22, 2019.

Other Funding Opportunities

Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Funding Program

The Office of the Governor, Public Safety Office, Criminal Justice Division, announced the Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Funding Program allocating about $2.8 million for the CAPCOG region to prevent, prepare for and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. About $38 million for the entire state has been made avialable through this opportunity.
Eligible applicants are local governments that operate a law enforcement agency. The funding program will allow for projects and purchases that include, but are not limited to, overtime, equipment, supplies, training, travel expenses, and addressing the medical needs of inmates in local and tribal jails and detention centers.
Application Deadline:  June 15, 2020
Learn more and apply.
For assistance or questions about this funding opportunity, jurisdictions in the CAPCOG region can contact Martin Ritchey, CAPCOG Homeland Security Director, or Betty Voights, CAPCOG Executive Director.

CAPCOG Gas Pump Skimmer Surveillance – Postponed

(This grant process has been extended, but new dates have yet to be released. If your agency is interested in applying for this grant please contact Terri Kroeger.)

CAPCOG is accepting applications from local law enforcement agencies in the ten-county region, for a grant to cover surveillance of businesses that sell gas and have multiple reports of gas-skimming incidents. The grants are made possible by the Texas Department of Agriculture’s partnership with CAPCOG to address increasing fraudulent transactions at gas pumps. CAPCOG will award funding through an Interlocal Agreement (ILA) with the local governments.
CAPCOG will give priority to those areas with the highest number of reported incidents and to those officers who have completed CAPCOG’s skimmer training. Also taken into consideration is if the agency has demonstrated efforts to address reported incidents but are limited on resources to conduct surveillance. Officers must also be able to meet the required surveillance pilot schedule.

Texas OOG CJD, Sexual Assault Forensic Exam (SAFE) Ready Facilities Program

This program is for  general and special hospitals licensed under Chapter 241 of the Texas Health and Safety Code, a general or special hospital owned by this State, or a freestanding emergency medical care facility licensed under Chapter 254 of the Texas Health and Safety Code.
Funds from this program may be used for costs associated with achieving or maintaining the SAFE-Ready Designation as defined in Chapter 323 of the Texas Health and Safety Code. Allowable costs include, but are not limited to:

1. Basic Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Collection Training as defined in Sec. 323.0045 of the Texas Health and Safety Code;
2. Initial and continuing education of Sexual Assault Forensic Examiners as defined in Sec. 323.001 (4-a) of the Texas Health and Safety Code;
3. Equipment and supplies (e.g. exam table, colposcopes, swab box/dryers, refrigerators for temporary storage of evidence); and
4. Salary and overtime. (limited to Sexual Assault Forensic Examiners while attending training or the backfilling of Sexual Assault Forensic Examiners whom are off-site attending training)

Application Deadline: July 6, 2020
Learn more and apply.

Texas OOG CDJ, District Attorney Testing of Forensic Evidence

This program funds district attorney offices for costs associated with the forensic analysis of physical evidence.
Applications may be submitted by counties and judicial districts that operate a district attorney office as listed in Chapter 43 of the Texas Government Code. All applications submitted by district attorney offices must be submitted by a unit of government affiliated with the office, including an authorizing resolution from that unit of government.
Funds may be used for costs associated with the forensic analysis of physical evidence for disciplines subject to, or expressly exempted from, accreditation by Article 38.35 Code of Criminal Procedure. Allowable costs include, but are not limited to:

1. Outsourcing of forensic analysis to public or private accredited labs;
2. Expedited forensic analysis; and
3. Additional items above Texas Department of Public Safety’s Case Acceptance Policy.

Application Deadline: July 6, 2020
Learn more and apply.

Texas OOG CJD, Paul Coverdell Forensic Sciences Improvement Grant Program

This program seeks to improve the quality and timeliness of forensic science or medical examiners services. Specific funding has been reserved for projects that support responses to the opioid epidemic.
Applications may be submitted by state agencies and local government that operate an accredited crime laboratory or medical examiner/coroner’s office in Texas.

Funds may only be used to carry out the following activities:

1. All or a substantial part of a program intended to improve the quality and timeliness of forensic science or medical examiner/coroner’s office services in the state, including those services provided by laboratories operated by the state and those operated by units of local government;
2. Eliminate a backlog in the analysis of forensic science evidence, including, among other things, a backlog with respect to firearms examination, latent prints, impression evidence, toxicology, digital evidence, fire evidence, controlled substances, forensic pathology, questioned documents, and trace evidence;
3. Train, assist, and employ forensic laboratory personnel and medicolegal death investigators, as needed to eliminate such a backlog;
4. Address emerging forensic science issues (such as statistics, contextual bias, and uncertainty of measurement) and emerging forensic science technology (such as high throughput automation, statistical software, and new types of instrumentation);
5. Educate and train forensic pathologists; or
6. Fund medicolegal death investigation systems to facilitate accreditation of medical examiner and coroner offices and certification of medicolegal death investigators.

Application Deadline: July 6, 2020
Learn more and apply.

Check the following websites for possible other criminal justice related funding opportunities:

• CAPCOG highted grants
• Grants.gov – Federal grant listings
• Egrants.gov.texas.gov – Texas, Office of the Governor grant listings

Plan Year 2022 | Office of the Governor, Criminal Justice Division, funding opportunities

Plan Year 2022 will begin in September of 2020. Please continue to check the CAPCOG website for updates on the current funding cycle — Plan Year 2021 — and Plan Year 2022.

Previous Plan Years

Plan Year 2020

Read the documents presented for the Criminal Justice Plan Year 2020 process and review the meeting timeline.

Plan Year 2019

Read the documents presented for the Criminal Justice Plan Year 2019 process and review the meeting timeline.

Plan Year 2018

Read the documents presented for the Criminal Justice Plan Year 2018 process and review the meeting timeline.

Review the 2017 CJD CAPCOG Region Data Packet for PY 2018.8

Plan Year 2017

Read the documents presented for the Criminal Justice Plan Year 2017 process and review the meeting timeline.

Plan Year 2016

Read the documents presented for the Criminal Justice Plan Year 2016 process and review the timeline of meetings.

Review the Criminal Justice Advisory Committee’s overall ranking of grant applicants.

Other Resources

Have questions about the criminal justice grant process, contact Matt Holderread, criminal justice program specialist