DOJ RELEASES R&D FUNDING TO MISSISSIPPI SCHOOLS
TO ADVANCE LAW ENFORCEMENT & PUBLIC SAFETY
Sen. Thad Cochran Supported FY2009 Funding for Mississippi Projects
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) today announced the release of more than $11.0 million in federal funding to advance law enforcement and public safety in Mississippi.
The U.S. Department of Justice has awarded the funding, approved by Congress in the FY2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act, to four Mississippi universities to support projects focused on improving law enforcement practices across the state. Cochran, the ranking Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, requested the funding on behalf of the schools.
“Our universities have expertise that can be put to use improving public safety and the overall criminal justice system,” Cochran said. “I am pleased that these funds will be used to promote crime prevention, improve emergency response and solve crimes.”
The following awards have been approved by the Justice Department:
Mississippi State University
- $2.5 million for the National Forensics Training Center Initiative to support state and local law enforcement in training related to digital forensics and computer crime investigations
- $1.5 million for the Knowledge-Based Data Integration and Identity Resolution Project to assist law enforcement through more effective use of information to enhance public safety in Mississippi
- $1.0 million to allow MSU to install a dedicated high-speed Internet circuit to support research activities
University of Southern Mississippi
- $1.0 million to continue support for the Mississippi Automated System Project (MASP) to advance data and information-sharing among public safety agencies throughout Mississippi
- $1.0 million to continue development of the University’s forensic science program, which includes supporting law enforcement agencies with crime-scene processing
- $400,000 to sustain the Mississippi Rural Law Enforcement Training Program
University of Mississippi
- $2.25 million for the National Center for Justice and The Rule of Law (NCJRL), which, in partnership with the National Judicial College, will offer the only national program for state attorney general offices to develop expertise to fight cyber crime
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Jackson State University
- $1.0 million to support the Enhancing Law Enforcement Response to Schools through Visual Data and the Mississippi Google Earth Enterprise System Project, which is designed to prepare law enforcement for school-based emergencies
Jackson Medical Mall Foundation
- $400,000 to support an after-school program for at-risk youth in Hinds County to avert juvenile delinquency
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