FY 2008 Grant Awards
The following FY 2008 awards have been announced: Edward Byrne Memorial Competitive Grant Program, Correctional Facilities on Tribal Lands, Drug Court Discretionary Grant Program, Gang Resistance Education And Training (G.R.E.A.T.) Program, Indian Alcohol and Substance Abuse Program, Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program, Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, Statewide Automated Victim Information and Notification (SAVIN) Program, and Tribal Courts Assistance Program. All applicants not awarded grant funding will receive a letter from BJA by November regarding their application.

Drug Court Training
Registration for the Adult Drug Court Planning Initiative (DCPI) will maintain an open enrollment application process until training capacity is reached. The National Drug Court Institute will deliver five-day training programs for eligible jurisdictions that are planning to develop an adult drug court.

Geography & Public Safety
Read the October 2003 edition of Geography & Public Safety .The articles in this edition include: “Foreclosures and Crime: A Geographical Perspective,” “Using Maps of Home Foreclosures to Understand National and Local Problems,” and “Breaking New Windows—Examining the Subprime Mortgage Crisis Using the Broken Windows Theory.”

Law Enforcement and People with Mental Illnesses Webinar
The National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare and the Council of State Governments Justice Center, with support from BJA, will host a webinar on Tuesday, October 28, 2008 at 2:00 pm EST. National experts in law enforcement and mental health will discuss effective crisis response models. Registration is free but is limited to the first 1,000 registrants. To register, go to www2.eventsvc.com/nationalcouncil, select the law enforcement/mental health event, and enter the coupon code COUNCIL at checkout.

National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children Webcasts
One of BJA's partners, the National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children (NADEC), is hosting a webinar, "Using Animal Models to Assess the Health Effects of Meth Exposure: Making the Case for Prospective Monitoring in Children," on October 15 at 1:30 pm EST. For more information and to register, visit the NADEC web site.

NMVTIS Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has published a notice of proposed rulemaking for the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS), a DOJ system designed to allow states to share vehicle title information to prevent theft and fraud and to allow consumers and others to access information on the histories of vehicles they are considering purchasing. For more information on NMVTIS, visit www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/grant/nmvtis.html.

Public Safety Information Sharing with NIEM
The National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) enables government and industry partners to address the need for timely, accurate, and complete information sharing. NIEM provides a mechanism to define data exchange standards for information that is commonly shared across the justice, public safety, emergency management, intelligence, and homeland security communities. The standards derive from real, operational needs, and promote common utilization for adoption and reuse, saving time and effort while reaping the benefits of standards-based information sharing. NIEM also supports sharing of information between partners who are traditionally divided by separate standards development activities and funding streams, but have a critical need to collaborate to respond to emerging threats, combat crime and improve the administration of justice, and ensure the ongoing safety of citizens. For more information, visit www.niem.gov, where you can also sign up to receive more NIEM information via e-mail, including NIEM News.

Compassion in Action: White House Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
The Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (CFBCI) at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is working to ensure government is coordinating with faith-based and community organizations in response and recovery efforts following Hurricane Gustav.

VIPS Program Activities and Milestones
Read about the recent Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS) Program activities and milestones from 2002 to 2008.

CSG Justice Center Releases Online Reentry Assessments Tool
With support from BJA, the Council of State Governments Justice Center has released an online assessments tool for state and local government professionals working to make prison and jail reentry safer and more successful. The tool was developed to familiarize state and local government officials with different assessment instruments used in corrections systems across the nation to gauge the risks and needs of someone admitted to prison or jail.

Challenges and Solutions to Implementing Problem-Solving Courts
BJA, in partnership with the State Justice Institute (SJI) and American University (AU), Justice Programs office, jointly sponsored a focus group of judges and court administrators who did not directly work with any problem-solving court program, but who had extensive experience with court management issues within jurisdictions where problem-solving courts operated. The focus group discussed the challenges these individuals had experienced in incorporating a problem-solving court in their court system and recommended solutions to these challenges. The results of the focus group, summarized in Challenges and Solutions to Implementing Problem-Solving Courts from the Traditional Court Management Perspective, will help inform BJA and SJI regarding the appropriate next steps for policy development and implementation in this area.

National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children Conference
The 5th Annual National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children Conference will be held in Salt Lake City on October 6-8, 2008. This event will provide training on the latest research and best practice strategies for Drug Endangered Children efforts at the community, state, and federal level. The conference will include topics related to child welfare, environmental health, medical, prevention, the judiciary and drug courts, substance abuse and mental health, continuum of care, and topics specific to Tribal nations. Visit www.nationaldec.org for the agenda and more details.

GMS On-line Training Tool Available
The OJP Grants Management System (GMS) On-line Training Tool assists grantees in administering their awards through the GMS. The online tool provides step-by-step instructions to complete various functions within GMS, as well as the administrative policies associated with Grant Adjustment Notices, Progress Reporting, and Closeouts.

Pandemic Influenza
BJA has developed an online information resource on Preparing the Justice System for a Pandemic Influenza and Other Public Health Emergencies. Resources recently added include two guideline documents from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Office of Emergency Medical Services. Also visit www.pandemicflu.gov.

Police Executive Fellowship Program (PEFP)
As a state or local law enforcement official, are you looking for a professional management and leadership opportunity at the Department of Justice? BJA and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) are seeking leaders from state and local law enforcement to serve on rotational assignments at both BJA and ATF to assist with federal law enforcement policy, operations, and training that will subsequently benefit state and/or local agencies. (PEFP Fact Sheet)

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