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.
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, February 2nd | 9:00 am to 12:00 pm | Virtual Only | Virtual Only | 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.
- Texas Office of the Governor (OOG) eGrants Website
- eGrants User Guide to Creating an Application
- USPS Zip + 4 Look – Up Tool
- Blank W – 9 Form
- Blank Direct Deposit Form
- Blank Texas Payee ID Form
- Dun & Bradstreet (D-U-N-S) Number Page
- System for Award Management (SAM) Website
- Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts – Procurement and Statewide Support Services
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