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$12.5
million in federal funds for anti-drug, prosecution and victim
assistance programs throughout Illinois
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[July 20, 2007]
SPRINGFIELD -- On Thursday, Gov.
Rod Blagojevich announced nearly $12.5 million in federal funding
for programs to help fight the manufacture and distribution of
illegal drugs, prosecute drug offenders, provide assistance for
victims, and support other state, county and local programs to
enhance public safety throughout Illinois.
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 "Illegal drugs destroy lives and endanger communities. One of our
most important responsibilities is to protect the public -- and
illegal drugs pose one of the biggest threats to public safety.
These federal grants will help law enforcement and prosecutors keep
up the fight against illegal drugs," Blagojevich said.The funding
will go to county, state and local agencies that provide services
within the Justice Assistance Grant program guidelines -- services
in the areas of law enforcement, prosecution, crime prevention and
education, corrections, drug treatment programs, program planning
and evaluation, and criminal justice technology improvement. The
award was a $4 million increase over the federal fiscal 2006 amount
received by the state.
Initiated in 2005 to combine Anti-Drug Abuse Act and Local Law
Enforcement Block Grant funding, Justice Assistance Grant programs
emphasize supporting task forces to conduct undercover operations,
fight meth manufacturers and distributors, and prosecute drug
offenders. Task forces supported by the grant funding will create
specific, local strategies to address drug problems facing the
county or counties they serve, as meth production and distribution
remains a major focus for task forces in central and southern
Illinois. In addition, funding will be targeted to narcotics-related
prosecutions conducted by eight specialized prosecution units across
the state.
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 Illinois' 2006 Justice Assistance Grant award supported 28
multijurisdictional narcotics task forces and narcotics prosecution
units in 64 Illinois counties.
"With this award, we can continue to fund successful anti-drug
strategies," said Lori G. Levin, executive director of the Illinois
Criminal Justice Information Authority. "These initiatives have a
long history of effectiveness in communities throughout Illinois."
Nearly $1.1 million of the year's federal award will be used to
continue support of court advocacy and compensation programs in Cook
County for juvenile and elderly victims, victims with disabilities,
Spanish- and Polish-speaking victims, victims of traffic crimes, and
family members of homicide victims.
Federal
Justice Assistance Grant funding may be used for state and local
initiatives in the areas of law enforcement, prosecution, crime
prevention and education, corrections, drug treatment programs,
program planning and evaluation, and criminal justice technology
improvement.
The Illinois
Criminal Justice Information Authority is the state agency
designated by the governor to administer Justice Assistance Grant
funds awarded to Illinois by the U.S. Department of Justice.
[Text from file received from
the
Illinois Office of
Communication and Information]
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