R2023-235 Resolution Authorizing the Certifications and Assurances of the 2023 Byrne Justice Assistance Grant

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This includes ensuring those agencies that have not yet transitioned to the National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS) do so expeditiously to ensure that national hate crime statistics are as accurate as possible. More information on BJA's portfolio addressing hate crimes, including the Emmett Till Cold Case Investigations and Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes programs, can be found at: Hate Crime I Bureau of Justice Assistance (ojp.gov). Crime and Violence Reduction Strategies The Biden—Harris Administration and DOJ have made crime and violence reduction a top priority. In May 2022, President Biden signed Executive Order 14074, Advancing Effective, Accountable Policing and Criminal Justice Practices to Enhance Public Trust and Public Safety, which states, "since early 2020, communities around the country have faced rising rates of violent crime, requiring law enforcement engagement at a time when law enforcement agencies are already confronting challenges of staffing shortages and low morale." According to an analysis of 27 cities conducted by the Council on Criminal Justice, the number of homicides in 2022 declined 4 percent over 2021, yet the homicide rate remained 34 percent higher than 2019 levels. Also, preliminary data compiled by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund indicate that as of December 31, 2022, 226 federal, state, tribal, and local law enforcement officers died in the line of duty in 2022. Line-of-duty-related deaths continue to be a top concern. Sixty-four law enforcement officers were killed feloniously by firearms in 2022, which is an increase over the historical number of deaths by gunfire seen in the prior decade (2010-2020 saw an average of 53). BJA encourages JAG grantees to invest funds to tailor programs and responses to state and local crime issues through the use of data and analytics; coordinate with United States Attorneys and Project Safe Neighborhoods grantees in order to leverage funding for crime and violence reduction projects and coordinate their law enforcement activities with those of federal law enforcement agencies such as the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Marshals Service, and the Department of Homeland Security; and form partnerships with federal, state, and local law enforcement and prosecutors to identify persons who use guns to commit a crime and who purchase or sell guns illegally. This includes ensuring that persons prohibited from purchasing firearms (see e.g.,18 U.S.C. § 922(g)) are deterred from doing so by enhancing complete, accurate, and timely access to the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) and the timely submission of all necessary records into the FBI databases, which will help prevent illegal transfers of firearms to those who are prohibited from owning firearms under current law. BJA also encourages JAG grantees to invest in implementing programs that provide training, assistance, and resources to law enforcement agencies to mitigate the current crisis in law enforcement recruitment and retention, bolster the security of at-risk places of worship such as synagogues, churches, and mosques, provide Page 11 of 38 O-BJA-2023-171790