The Duchesne County Sheriff’s Office is among nearly 1,000 other organizations to sign a letter in support of the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant program. Byrne JAG is a federal crime-fighting program that is facing continued funding reductions and the letter emphasizes that these reductions come at a significant cost. The Byrne JAG program is said to touch nearly every city and town in America. “In Duchesne County,” shares the Sheriff’s Office, “Byrne JAG funds have helped pay for the video cameras installed in patrol vehicles and worn by deputies. The funds have also been used to pay for the jail’s ankle monitoring program, which was launched as part of Utah’s Justice Reinvestment Initiative.” States and local communities are able to use the funding to address specific needs in their criminal and juvenile justice systems including prevention enforcement, courts, prosecution, indigent defense, corrections, crisis intervention, and behavioral health services. The effort to rally law enforcement agencies nationwide was spearheaded by the National Criminal Justice Association.
