Criminal Justice Planning

The Criminal Justice Program grew out of the COG’s responsibility to conduct Criminal Justice Planning for the six-county region. Each year, the Criminal Justice Planner facilitates the development of Community Plans for all counties within the Heart of Texas Council of Governments’ region. The plans outline the needs and issues affecting law enforcement, juveniles, and victims in each county. Gaps in services, services currently provided, and services and resources the counties would like to establish in order to fill the gaps are identified in the plan. Participation in this critical aspect of the program is vital for those entities applying for funding through the Office of the Governor Criminal Justice Division (CJD). Our Criminal Justice team then develops a Regional Strategic Plan from the data, trends, and gaps identified in the six-county Community Plans.

CJ Grant Toolkit

Criminal Justice Plans

Our Criminal Justice program works with Community Planners from each of our counties to develop Community Plans which are used to inform our regional strategic plans. You will find the most recent versions of these plans below.

2020 Regional Strategic Plan
Hill County Community Plan Bosque County Community Plan
Freestone County Community Plan Limestone County Community Plan
McLennan County Community Plan Falls County Community Plan

 

If you have any questions about any of these plans, please contact Lana Gudgel at 254-292-1800.

Grant Workshop Schedule

Eligible Organizations interested in applying for Homeland Security or Criminal Justice Grant funds must attend a Grant Workshop. These workshops cover the basics of the following topics, eligibility, project writing, eligible activities, grant writing/application, ethics training, and more. We will be offering four sessions this grant cycle with additional opportunities given on an as-needed basis.  

Date Time Location Address Online Link
Wednesday, January 19th 9:00 am to 12:00 pm HOTCOG 1514 S. New Road, Waco, Texas 76711 Click Here to Access Meeting
Thursday, January 20th 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm HOTCOG 1514 S. New Road, Waco, Texas 76712 Click Here to Access Meeting

 

Jurisdictions are only required to attend one workshop per cycle. Attendance can be either in-person or online. The links above will be active 15 minutes before the start time of the workshop.

Click Here to Access the Grant Toolkit Resources discussed in the Workshop - Contact us for Password

If you have any issues or questions regarding the grant workshops please contact Amy Derrick or Lana Gudgel at 254-292-1800.

Grant Funding Opportunities

The following grant opportunities are available to eligible jurisdictions. Click the links below to download the Funding Announcement.

FY 2023 Criminal Justice Grant Program (JAG)

FY 2023 Juvenile Justice & Truancy Prevention Grant Program (SF421)

FY 2023 General Victim Assistance Grant Program (VOCA)

FY 2023 Violence Against Women Justice and Training Program (VAWA)

All grant applications must be submitted and certified in the eGrants system by 5:00pm on Friday, February 10th, 2022

Criminal Justice Advisory Committee

Chaired by Brian Swick, the Criminal Justice Advisory Committee’s (CJAC) primary responsibility is to score and prioritize grant applications for the grant programs administered through the Criminal Justice Division, Office of the Governor. The following Criminal Justice Grants are scored by the CJAC and supported by the Criminal Justice Planner:

  • Victims of Crime Act Fund (VOCA)
  • Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDP)
  • Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)
  • Justice Assistance Grant (JAG)

The following documents guide the CJAC in its mission to oversee grant funding uses to crimes committed, and to promote accountability, efficiency, and effectiveness within the criminal justice system.

Previous Grant Awards

The following grants were awarded by the Office of the Governor (OOG) to agencies serving the Heart of Texas region in the FY 21 grant cycle.

Name Project Title Grant Source Amount
Advocacy Center for Crime Victims and Children Victims Services VA $282,573.00
Bellmead, City of Domestic Violence Detective WF $40,684.07
Family Abuse Center Victim Services VA $362,907.40
Hill County Truancy Prevention and Intervention Program TP $32,327.83
Waco, City of Waco Family Violence Unit Detectives and Coordinator WF $71,056.00
Heart of Texas Council of Governments Juvenile Justice Alternatives SF $35,876.85
Hill County Body Worn and In-Car Camera DJ $16,599.42
Heart of Texas Region MHMR Klaras Center for Families' Hope Shelter: Emergency Shelter for Youth Victims of Sex Trafficking VA $129,000.00
Bellmead, City of Mobile Data Project DJ $47,850.00
Unbound Global Advocacy Services for Commercially Sexually Exploited Youth VA $61,752.36
Falls County Youth Intervention Services TP $28,992.00
Falls County Youth Victim Services VA $25,200.00
Falls County Falls County Victim Services VA $95,722.30
Falls County Special Crimes Investigator WF $70,024.00
Fairfield, City of Computer Grant DJ $15,150.00
Marlin, City of AXON Tasers DJ $17,811.53
Teague ISD Radio/Video Project DJ $21,780.00
Mexia, City of Patrol Fleet DJ $26,476.78
Grant Source Code Guide
DJ Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program (JAG)
SF State Criminal Justice Planning (421) Fund
TP Truancy Prevention Grant Program
VA Victims of Crime Act Formula Grant Program (VOCA)
WF Violence Against Women Formula Grants (VAWA)

Additional Resources

The following resources are designed to assist jurisdictions and agencies in applying for Criminal Justice funds. Provided resources include assets to inform jurisdictions and agencies of the process utilized to apply for, prioritize, and allocate grant funding.