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Press Release

Shapiro-Davis Administration Approves $80 Million in Funding to Support Law Enforcement Equipment Upgrades and Support Victims of Crime

Approved funding will help bring Pennsylvania law enforcement agencies into compliance with the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS).

 

Funding will also help ensure that victims of crime in Pennsylvania are able to access the services and support they need.

Harrisburg – This week, members of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD), took action to approve $80 million in a variety of grants to improve crime reporting, help law enforcement upgrade equipment, support victims of crime and victim service providers, and support county jail-based medication-assisted treatment for individuals with substance use disorder.

"The Commission took a significant step in advancing public safety by approving $80 million in funding to enhance our law enforcement capabilities and provide critical support to victims of crime,” said Mike Pennington, PCCD Executive Director. “The funding approved today will modernize our crime reporting systems to meet national standards, bolster law enforcement equipment and technology, and fund vital services for crime victims across Pennsylvania."

The approved grant funding includes $5.8 million in grant funding to support law enforcement system upgrades which will enable the reporting of crime statistics to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) NIBRS. As of January 1, 2021, NIBRS became the national standard for law enforcement crime data reporting in the United States. The data collected through NIBRS provides the ability to capture details on criminal incidents, including information on victims, known offenders, relationships between victims and offenders, arrestees, and property involved in crimes.

Pennsylvania is well behind other states in the nation in fully utilizing NIBRS, making it challenging to accurately capture statewide and jurisdiction-specific crime trends. While Pennsylvania has made progress increasing NIBRS compliance statewide thanks to recent investments, currently, only 42 percent of Pennsylvania’s population is covered by a police department that is utilizing NIBRS and only 10 percent of local law enforcement agencies are reporting criminal statistics to the FBI through NIBRS.

This funding will allow the 68 approved law enforcement entities to use funding for software, hardware, and labor needed to install NIBRS-compliant record management systems; training on how to collect and submit NIBRS data; and/or technical assistance for personnel responsible for data collection and submission.

“This funding will allow Central Bucks Regional Police Department to upgrade our technology infrastructure to provide greater specificity in reporting statistics through NIBRS compliance,” said Central Bucks Regional Police Chief Karl Knott. “We look forward to the benefit of maximizing our resources through actionable intelligence, more accurate analysis of crime, and data sharing across agencies to increase clearance rates.”

Commission-Approved NIBRS Awards (pending the resolution of any outstanding programmatic or fiscal concerns)

County

Applicant Agency

Amount

Adams

Franklin City

$ 200,000

Allegheny

Allegheny County Chief Executive Officer

$ 200,000

Allegheny

Castle Shannon Borough

$ 28,097

Allegheny

Harmar Township

$ 50,000

Allegheny

Indiana Township

$ 52,367

Allegheny

Munhall Borough

$ 44,364

Allegheny

Pittsburgh City

$ 200,000

Allegheny

Pleasant Hills Borough

$ 24,487

Allegheny

Wilkins Township

$ 200,000

Beaver

Center Township

$ 128,500

Bucks

Bensalem Township

$ 331,976

Bucks

Central Bucks Regional Police Department

$ 162,467

Bucks

Falls Township

$ 99,105

Bucks

Lower Makefield Township

$ 51,573

Bucks

Lower Southampton Township

$ 42,714

Bucks

Yardley Borough

$ 46,735

Cambria

Cambria County Commissioners

$ 37,595

Cambria

Ebensburg Borough

$ 40,000

Cambria

Stonycreek Township

$ 111,870

Chester

East Vincent Township

$ 6,500

Chester

West Vincent Township

$ 33,528

Clearfield

Curwensville Borough

$ 76,734

Clearfield

Lawrence Township

$ 131,442

Clinton

Lock Haven City

$ 79,026

Columbia

Benton Borough

$ 36,752

Columbia

Hemlock Township

$ 36,510

Cumberland

Hampden Township

$ 128,801

Cumberland

Upper Allen Township

$ 176,300

Delaware

Darby Borough

$ 125,216

Delaware

Yeadon Borough

$ 35,000

Fayette

Fayette County Commissioners

$ 100,500

Fayette

Uniontown City

$ 123,600

Franklin

Waynesboro Borough

$ 126,963

Lackawanna

Archbald Borough

$ 151,840

Lackawanna

Blakely Borough

$ 98,464

Lackawanna

South Abington Township

$ 174,594

Lancaster

Lancaster City

$ 200,000

Lancaster

Mount Joy Borough

$ 122,084

Luzerne

Avoca Borough

$ 13,345

Luzerne

Dallas Borough

$ 23,422

Luzerne

Dallas Township

$ 30,300

Luzerne

Dupont Borough

$ 13,345

Luzerne

Duryea Borough

$ 13,215

Luzerne

Hughestown Borough

$ 13,345

Luzerne

Jackson Township

$ 24,364

Luzerne

Jenkins Township

$ 13,345

Luzerne

Kingston Township

$ 44,114

Luzerne

Lehman Township

$ 28,058

Luzerne

Pittston City

$ 13,215

Luzerne

Pittston Township

$ 13,345

Luzerne

Wyoming Area Regional Police

$ 13,345

Mercer

Farrell City

$ 135,464

Mercer

Sharon City

$ 150,292

Mercer

Sharpsville Borough

$ 60,368

Monroe

East Stroudsburg University

$ 1,347

Montgomery

Conshohocken Borough

$ 23,831

Montgomery

Pottstown Borough

$ 39,935

Northampton

Lehigh Township

$ 175,200

Northumberland

Riverside Borough

$ 22,927

Schuylkill

Coaldale Borough

$ 69,535

Union

Bucknell University

$ 186,943

Venango

Oil City

$ 200,000

Washington

Charleroi Regional Police Department

$ 100,300

Washington

Washington County Commissioners

$ 100,500

Westmoreland

Allegheny Township

$ 74,330

Westmoreland

Murrysville Municipality

$ 37,595

Westmoreland

North Belle Vernon Borough

$ 89,550

York

York City

$ 125,000

The Commission also approved $60 million in federal grant funding for victim service providers for the provision of services to Pennsylvanians who are victims of crime. Federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding serves as the backbone of financial support for nearly all of the victim service provider organizations in the Commonwealth and throughout the nation.

Approved funding will advance new research focused on counties’ implementation of Act 79 of 2018 (which established protections for domestic violence survivors related to weapons relinquishment), continue supporting a statewide program that provides support for local communities and victims impacted by traumatic events, and enhance a multidisciplinary approach by the justice systems in its response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence.

Other approved funding from Commission meeting includes:

  • $3 million for law enforcement agencies to support their equipment and technology needs to assist them in reducing crime and improving clearance rates;
  • Nearly $7 million in Federal Justice Assistance Grants (JAG) funding to support a wide variety of projects throughout the state, including public defense, offender reentry, prevention programming, and treatment courts; and
  • $3.7 million to support county jail-based medication-assisted treatment for individuals with substance use disorder.

More information about the actions approved at the Commission meeting are available on PCCD’s website.

 

 

 

Media Contacts

Ali Gantz

Communications Director
Commission on Crime and Delinquency Media