The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announced grant awards of $1,194,246.00 to the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe in Towaoc, Colo., to fund community projects and improve services for victims of crimes. The awards are administered through the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) at the Department of Justice.
“Our partnership with tribal leaders to strengthen public safety, improve victim services, and sustain crime prevention and intervention efforts is a key objective for our office, and funding programs that support victims and promote public safety is a priority,” U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado, Cole Finegan said. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office remains committed to making tribal communities safer and ensuring access to justice for all.”
OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) awarded the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe $784,000.00 under the Byrne Discretionary Community Project Funding/Byrne Discretionary Grants Program to establish a law enforcement presence in the White Mesa community in Utah. The White Mesa officers will lead the Community Response Team to address suicide prevention, domestic violence, human trafficking, child abuse, and substance use challenges, and offer quarterly awareness and education events for the public. These funds will support benefits and salaries for the officers, support the purchase of patrol vehicles, officer uniforms, and gear.
OJP’s Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) awarded the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe $410,246.00 under the Tribal Victim Services Set-Aside Formula Grant Program, part of more than $246 million in grants to American Indian and Alaska Native communities to improve public safety and serve crime victims. The program is open only to federally recognized Indian tribes and is administered via a formula. The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe will use the award to implement services for victims of crime that meet needs identified by the community and reflect tribal community values and traditions.
More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.