DOJ information sharing press release

[Declan McCullagh]

Matt, here's something you might be interested in (as might cpunx). --Declan


JUSTICE DEPARTMENT PROVIDES FUNDS TO 26 STATES FOR INFORMATION SHARING 
INITIATIVES


DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BJA
Monday, July 23, 2001
202/307-0703

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT PROVIDES FUNDS TO 26 STATES FOR INFORMATION SHARING 
INITIATIVES

         WASHINGTON, D.C.-- Justice Department grants to 26 states totaling 
more than
$16 million will help them share information across jurisdictional and 
criminal justice system component lines and lead to improving the way they 
do business.  The funds will help states link key information systems that 
include crime and offender information that will lead to better sentencing 
decisions, enhanced public safety and other benefits derived from more 
comprehensive, better coordinated criminal justice information systems.
         "For too long, the different arms of the criminal justice system 
at the federal, state, and local levels have not known what the others were 
doing," said Office of Justice Programs (OJP) Acting Assistant Attorney 
General Mary Lou Leary.  "By helping law enforcement, courts, probation and 
parole agencies, and other components of the criminal justice system to 
more effectively share information, we will exponentially enhance public 
safety."
         The grants are being made under a program authorized by the Crime 
Identification Technology Act of 1998-more commonly referred to as 
CITA.  The program is being administered by the Bureau of Justice 
Assistance (BJA), a component of OJP, in cooperation with the National 
Governors' Association's Center for Best Practices.
(MORE)

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         In Fiscal Year 2000, BJA and NGA's Center for Best Practices 
provided Information Integration program planning grants of $25,000 to 42 
states and hosted a series of information integration workshops that were 
attended by representatives of state implementation teams  from 45 states.
         These 26 grants will allow selected states to build on that work 
and lay the groundwork for future national information integration efforts.
         "Rapid advances in technology have allowed police, prosecutors, 
courts, and corrections to build impressive information systems," said 
Leary.  "The key is to allow these systems to share information.  Judges 
who have reliable up-to-date arrest records will be able to make better 
sentencing decisions.  In turn, police who have complete information about 
outstanding warrants and criminal histories will be in a better position to 
detain dangerous criminals, who do not belong back on the street."
         The projects being funded with the grants being announced today 
range from $40,000 to $1 million initiatives.  The projects will last 
between 12 and 24 months and must contribute directly to improving 
information sharing among all or some of the law enforcement and criminal 
justice agencies at the state and local levels.
         Additional information about BJA is available at: 
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bja <http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bja>
         Additional information about NGA's Center for Best Practices is 
available at:
www.nga.org/center <http://www.nga.org/center>
# # #
BJA 01-164
After Hours Contact: Doug Johnson 202/353-5610 (cell)

Office of Justice Programs (OJP)
BJA/NGA FY 2001 Justice Information Technology
Integration Implementation Project

State   Grantee Award Amount    Contact Phone
AZ      Arizona Criminal Justice Commission     $  230,000      Michael D. 
Branham      602/728-0752
AR      Arkansas Integrated Justice Information System Coordinating 
Council     $  910,563      Brenda Barber   501/682-0053
CO      Colorado Department of Public Safety    $  700,000      C. Suzanne 
Menncer      303/239-4398
CT      The State of Connecticut        $ 705,000       Theron 
Schnure  860/418-6340
FL      Florida Technology Office       $1,000,000      Roy 
Cales       850/410-4777
HI      State of Hawaii $1,000,000      Carla T. 
Poirier        808/586-5330
IL      State of Illinois       $   973,660     Matt 
Bettenhausen       312/814-2121
KS      Kansas Bureau of Investigation  $   239,000     Charles W. 
Sexson       785/296-8200
KY      Commonwealth of Kentucky        $1,000,000      Aldona 
Valicenti        502/564-1201
MD      Maryland Criminal Justice Information Advisory 
Board    $   460,352     Stewart Simms   410/339-5000
MA      Massachusetts Office of Public Safety   $   850,000     Jane 
Perlov     617/727-7775
MI      Michigan Department of State Police     $   750,000     Nancy 
Becker    517/336-6641
MO      State of Missouri       $   510,815     Gerry 
Wethington        573/526-7741
MT      Montana Department of Justice   $     40,000    Wulbur 
Rehmann  406/444-6194
NE      State of Nebraska       $   336,200     Michael Overton 
402/471-3992
NJ      New Jersey Dept. of Law and Public 
Safety       $   350,000     Steven Talpas   609/984-0634
State   Grantee Award Amount    Contact Phone
NM      Supreme Court of New Mexico     $   800,000     Bob 
Stafford    505/476-0400
NY      New York Division of Criminal Justice 
Services  $   757,600     Clyde Deweese   518/485-2295
NC      State of North Carolina $   600,000     Robert 
Brinson  919/716-3501
ND      State of North Dakota   $   310,000     Nancy 
Walz      701/328-1991
PA      Pennsylvania Justice Network    $   795,000     Linda Rosenberg 
717/705-0760
RI      Rhode Island Justice Commission $   150,000     Joseph 
Smith    401/222-2620
TN      Tennessee Office for Criminal Justice Programs  $1,000,000      Pat 
Dishman     615/741-8277
UT      Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile 
Justice        $   650,000     Jennifer Hemingway      801/538-1055
WA      Office of Financial Management  $   495,000     Gary 
Robinson   360/902-0528
WI      State of Wisconsin      $   739,365     Annette 
Cruz    608/266-1736