A MESSAGE FROM ACTING ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL
BRENT J. COHEN
In our ongoing efforts to reshape community safety, I want to share some significant updates that highlight our dedication to innovation and collaboration.
Last week in Seattle, OJP marked two years of our Community-Based Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative (CVIPI), the landmark grant program dedicated to community-driven safety solutions. We commemorated this anniversary with an event featuring local leaders and organizations leveraging CVIPI funding to drive down violence and strengthen safety across King County. The event went beyond commemoration; it was a powerful demonstration of how local, state and federal partners can work together to build out a community safety infrastructure that is up to the challenge of tackling gun violence.
The momentum from Seattle carried directly to the White House, where President Biden announced new actions to address gun violence, including new investments from OJP. As part of this comprehensive effort, the President announced that OJP is awarding an additional $85 million to support community violence intervention programs, related research, and training and technical assistance nationwide. This investment brings our total funding for the initiative to over $272 million since its start in 2022.
The President also announced that OJP is awarding more than $135 million in funding under the Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program, which supports the creation and/or implementation of extreme risk protection order programs, state crisis intervention court proceedings and related programs and initiatives.
The grants announced last week are just one piece of OJP's broader $4 billion investment in safety and justice. OJP is awarding more than 3,800 fiscal year 2024 grants to fuel efforts across the nation to reduce violence, enhance victim services and drive meaningful improvements in our criminal and juvenile justice systems.
As we roll out these resources, we're investing in a vision of community safety that is responsive, fair and grounded in local realities. The challenges we face are complex, but I'm constantly inspired by the commitment and innovation from our partners across the country.
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Your work—whether as a local leader, community advocate, researcher or justice professional—remains the driving force behind the change we see. As we move forward, I know we can continue to find creative ways to keep our communities' needs central to all we do.
Thank you for your continued partnership in this important work.
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Brent J. Cohen
Acting Assistant Attorney General
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