Washington, DC — U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill) today announced that the Department of Justice (DOJ) Office for Victims of Crimes (OVC) has
awarded a $532,814 Enhanced Collaborative Model Task Force to Combat Human Trafficking Grant to the Illinois State Police to combat human trafficking in Central Illinois. He also announced that the DOJ Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) has selected Decatur, Champaign, and Springfield to each receive awards through the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program. The three awards total $172,390.
“I have worked since my first term in Congress to raise
awareness of and
combat human trafficking,” said Davis. “This grant to the Illinois State Police that is specifically for efforts in Central Illinois will bolster the often unseen fight against the terrible crime of human trafficking right here in rural America.”
“The scourge of human trafficking is the modern-day equivalent of slavery, brutally depriving victims of basic human rights and essential physical needs as it erodes their sense of dignity and self-worth,” said Attorney General William P. Barr. “The Department of Justice is relentless in its fight against the perpetrators of these heinous crimes. Working with state and local law enforcement and community victim service providers, we will continue to bring these criminals to justice and deliver critical aid to survivors.”
OVC Human Trafficking Grant Details
Illinois State Police: $532,814
The purpose of this program is to develop, expand, or strengthen victim service programs for victims of human trafficking, to include enhancing the capacity of law enforcement and other stakeholders to identify victims and provide justice for those victims through the investigation and prosecution of their traffickers. This award made to Illinois State Police is funded under FY 2020 Enhanced Collaborative Model Task Force to Combat Human Trafficking which is designed to expand anti-trafficking efforts within Central Illinois. The Task Force will focus on: the development of interagency partnerships; additional professional trainings and public awareness; increased, comprehensive, trauma-informed victim services; support for local, state, and federal law enforcement; coordinated data collection and reporting system to track victims and offenders; and strategic victim identification to better equip the region to identify and respond to the crime and crisis of human trafficking.
BJA Justice Assistance Grant Details
City of Champaign: $53,858
City of Decatur: $29,430
City of Springfield: $89,102
The JAG Program allows states and units of local government, including tribes, to support a broad range of activities to prevent and control crime based on their own state and local needs and conditions. Grant funds can be used for state and local initiatives, technical assistance, training, personnel, equipment, supplies, contractual support, and information systems for criminal justice, including for any one or more of the following program areas: 1) law enforcement programs; 2) prosecution and court programs; 3) prevention and education programs; 4) corrections and community corrections programs; 5) drug treatment and enforcement programs; 6) planning, evaluation, and technology improvement programs; and 7) crime victim and witness programs (other than compensation) and 8) mental health programs and related law enforcement and corrections programs.
This JAG award will be used to support criminal justice initiatives that fall under one or more of the allowable program areas above. Funded programs or initiatives may include multijurisdictional drug and gang task forces, crime prevention and domestic violence programs, courts, corrections, treatment, justice information sharing initiatives, or other programs aimed at reducing crime and/or enhancing public/officer safety.
