Category: US Department of Justice

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

The Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) today announced that it has awarded over $600 million in grant funding to law enforcement agencies and stakeholders across the country. This funding will go to support a wide range of efforts, from hiring new law enforcement officers and keeping our schools safe, to expanding programs that support law enforcement mental health and wellness services and combating the distribution and trafficking of illicit drugs.

The funding was announced as part of the Justice Department’s celebration of the 30th anniversary of the COPS Office, commemorating 30 years since the passage of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act. Since that time, the COPS Office has advanced community policing across the country by providing a variety of resources, including grant funding, training, technical assistance, and a wide range of publications and other resources.

“Since its founding 30 years ago, the COPS Office has shown the country what it looks like to put the values of community-oriented policing into action,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “This coming year, the Justice Department will provide funding for 235 police departments to hire nearly 1,200 additional officers. As we celebrate this milestone and announce this funding, we recommit ourselves to the COPS Office’s mission, and to the belief that everyone in this country deserves to feel safe, and to be safe, in their communities.”

“For 30 years, the COPS Office has been crucial to keeping our communities safe,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “From helping communities build public safety capacity by putting more cops on the beat to helping law enforcement professionals build resilience — the COPS office has been a game changer for public safety.”

“Over the past three decades, the COPS Office has provided vital resources, training, and support to law enforcement agencies across the country to help them implement community policing strategies,” said Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer. “That support is based on the foundational tenet that communities are safer when law enforcement and community members work in true partnership.” 

“As the COPS Office celebrates its 30th anniversary of working with local, state, territorial, and Tribal law enforcement agencies, these grants are another example of the tremendous support we have been able to offer the law enforcement field over the years,” said Director Hugh T. Clements Jr. of the COPS Office. “These grants are one more way we work to ensure law enforcement and community members get the support they need as they continue to strive to keep their communities safe.”

The funding announced today includes:

• $157 million through the COPS Hiring Program (CHP) for 235 law enforcement agencies to hire nearly 1,200 additional officers to enhance their community policing capacity;
• $73 million for the School Violence Prevention Program/Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, for school safety measures in and around K-12 schools;
• $46 million to combat the distribution and trafficking of opioids and methamphetamine through the COPS Anti-Heroin Task Force (AHTF) program and the COPS Anti-Methamphetamine Program (CAMP);
• Over $31 million for the Tribal Resources Grant Program (TRGP), with an additional $500,000 in technical assistance;
• Over $9 million for the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act (LEMHWA) program to improve the delivery of and access to mental health and wellness services for law enforcement and support staff;$750,000 for the Implementation of the De-Escalation Training Act;
• $10.5 million for the Preparing for Active Shooter Situations (PASS) Program, which provides training for first responders through scenario-based, multidisciplinary training classes;
• Almost $14 million in Community Policing Development Microgrants and Law Enforcement Products and Resources;
• Over $4 million for Promoting Access to Crisis Teams, which supports the implementation of crisis intervention teams, including embedding behavioral or mental health professionals with law enforcement agencies; and
• $6.5 million for law enforcement agency accreditation, for programs that allow police departments and sheriff’s agencies to obtain accreditation by independent credentialing bodies.

The COPS Office is the federal component of the Justice Department responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. The only Justice Department agency with policing in its name, the COPS Office was established in 1994 and has been the cornerstone of the nation’s crime fighting strategy with grants, a variety of knowledge resource products, and training and technical assistance. Through the years, the COPS Office has become the go-to organization for law enforcement agencies across the country and continues to listen to the field and provide the resources that are needed to reduce crime and build trust between law enforcement and the communities served. The COPS Office has been appropriated more than $20 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local, territorial, and Tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 138,000 officers.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia returned an indictment today charging a former D.C. Special Police Officer with depriving an arrestee of her civil rights under color of law.

The indictment charges former D.C. Special Police Officer Curtis Holloway, 65, with one count of deprivation of rights under color of law for willfully using unreasonable force against an arrestee, who is identified in the indictment as A.J. Specifically, the indictment alleges that, without legal justification, Holloway struck A.J. on the head with a firearm, resulting in bodily injury to A.J.

The indictment also charges Holloway with obstruction of justice for false statements he made to responding Metropolitan Police Department officers. Finally, the indictment charges Holloway with assault with a deadly weapon.

The civil rights charge and assault charge each carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.  The obstruction charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. If convicted, a federal judge will determine any sentence based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia and Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the FBI Washington Field Office made the announcement. 

The FBI Washington Field Office investigated this case. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Gold for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Laura-Kate Bernstein of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case. 

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Source: United States Department of Justice 2

A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia returned an indictment today charging a former D.C. Special Police Officer with depriving an arrestee of her civil rights under color of law.

The indictment charges former D.C. Special Police Officer Curtis Holloway, 65, with one count of deprivation of rights under color of law for willfully using unreasonable force against an arrestee, who is identified in the indictment as A.J. Specifically, the indictment alleges that, without legal justification, Holloway struck A.J. on the head with a firearm, resulting in bodily injury to A.J.

The indictment also charges Holloway with obstruction of justice for false statements he made to responding Metropolitan Police Department officers. Finally, the indictment charges Holloway with assault with a deadly weapon.

The civil rights charge and assault charge each carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.  The obstruction charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. If convicted, a federal judge will determine any sentence based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia and Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the FBI Washington Field Office made the announcement. 

The FBI Washington Field Office investigated this case. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Gold for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Laura-Kate Bernstein of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case. 

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Source: United States Department of Justice 2

A Michigan woman was sentenced today to five years in prison for conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor.

According to court documents, from around December 2021 through around March 2022, Latesha Gardner, 30, of Flint, Michigan, and her boyfriend, Charles Cunigan, conspired to sex traffic a minor victim and used force, fraud, or coercion to carry out the conspiracy. Cunigan and Gardner transported the minor victim across state lines, from Tennessee to Illinois, Louisiana, and Texas, for the purpose of causing her to engage in commercial sex acts. Specifically, Gardner taught the minor victim how to “pose sexy” for photos and used those photos to advertise the minor victim online for commercial sex. Gardner also participated in commercial sex encounters with the minor victim and would instruct the minor victim what to do during the encounters. If the minor victim did not comply with Cunigan’s demands, he would beat the minor victim, and on occasion, he directed Gardner to use physical force against the minor victim as well. In an altercation in February 2022, Cunigan punched and kicked the minor victim, and Gardner hit the minor victim with a liquor bottle and a high-heeled shoe. Cunigan and Gardner knew the minor victim was a juvenile throughout the timeframe of the conspiracy.

In addition to the prison sentence, Gardner was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release and pay $9,750 in restitution to the victim. After her release from prison, Gardner will be required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).

Gardner pleaded guilty on June 18 to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor. Cunigan pleaded guilty on June 25 to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor and sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 24.

Principle Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans for the Eastern District of Louisiana made the announcement.

Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Melissa E. Bücher of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria M. Carboni for the Eastern District of Louisiana’s Financial Crimes Unit are prosecuting the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

It is an honor to join you to mark what is quite a milestone — the 30th anniversary of the COPS Office. Today, we celebrate three decades of dedication, innovation, and partnership to promote safer communities across the country.

The last 30 years have seen tremendous changes in policing. The COPS Office has been at the forefront of many of those changes, working alongside its law enforcement and community partners to transform policing in America.

The COPS Office has provided critical resources, training, and support to law enforcement agencies across the country, helping them implement community policing strategies tailored to the unique needs of their communities.

Through grants, technical assistance, and research, the COPS Office has empowered law enforcement agencies to engage with their communities, build trust, and work collaboratively to solve problems. And at all times, the Office has worked to make sure the community is at the table – that community policing isn’t just a slogan, but a practice.

Over these past 30 years, the COPS Office has continued to build on the programs that have been successful, while simultaneously developing new programs that respond to the ever-evolving demands and needs of the field. And in addition to the awards just announced by the Deputy Attorney General, I would like to announce several other awards we are making today:

• We are awarding almost $14 million in microgrants and other Community Policing Development products and services. Those microgrants are a particularly popular program, allowing agencies to try out new and promising programs or projects aimed toward goals like advancing crime fighting, increasing community engagement, or supporting organizational change.
• We are also awarding over $4.2 million for Promoting Access to Crisis Intervention Teams, which provides funding to embed behavioral or mental health professionals within law enforcement agencies.
• We will be awarding $6.6 million for our accreditation program, which supports the efforts of police departments and sheriff’s agencies that want to obtain accreditation by independent credentialing bodies. Independent accreditation can provide a community with reassurance that their law enforcement agency’s policies and practices have met the standards pre-established by an accrediting organization.
• Finally, we are awarding $7.5 million for what has become one of the COPS Office’s signature programs – Collaborative Reform. Collaborative Reform covers a wide range of assistance to law enforcement agencies and communities across the country. It ranges from conducting an in-depth analysis of an agency’s policies and procedures, or providing guidance when there is a critical incident or major need that would benefit from expert engagement, to offering peer support, training, or a wide variety of other resources on a broad range of topics.

One of the hallmarks of the COPS Office has been its ability to adapt and innovate in response to evolving challenges. From addressing the opioid epidemic and promoting officer safety and wellness, to advancing the use of technology in policing, and supporting the implementation of evidence-based practices, the COPS Office has consistently been a leader in driving positive change in law enforcement.

In its earlier years, the COPS Office developed a network of regional community policing institutes, many of which have transformed into centers of training that continue to serve the field. A number of them are also part of the current network of De-escalation Training Centers and Tolerance, Diversity, and Anti-Bias training providers, which offer DOJ-approved training and train-the-trainer programs to agencies throughout the country at no charge. 

And the COPS Office maintains the largest online library devoted to community policing. Once again, available to law enforcement at no charge.

As we celebrate the achievements of the past 30 years, we know that the work of the COPS Office is far from done. The challenges we face today — from continuing to work to reduce violent crime to emphasizing the need for greater police accountability — require us to continue evolving and adapting our approaches.

We must continue to invest in community policing, support innovative solutions, and ensure that our law enforcement officers and agencies have the tools and resources they need to protect and serve all communities with integrity and respect.

Before I close, I would like to again thank Director Clements for his friendship to me and excellent leadership of the COPS team. I want to thank the entire COPS Office staff, both past and present, for your dedication to the advancement of the principles of community policing. I am glad that so many of you are able to join us today.

It is also a pleasure to see so many of our law enforcement stakeholder partners. We know that without you, we wouldn’t have all the wonderful stories to share and successes to point to.

I look forward to a bright future of service, innovation, and partnership.

Thank you all.