Since 2006, the city of Birmingham has received a total of $5,017,687 from the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants program (Byrne JAG). According to the Bureau of Justice assistance website, “The Edward Byrne Memorial State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance Grant Program (Byrne Formula Grant Program) is a partnership among federal, state, and local governments to create safer communities. BJA is authorized to award grants to states for use by states and units of local government to improve the functioning of the criminal justice system—with emphasis on violent crime and serious offenders—and enforce state and local laws that establish offenses similar to those in the federal Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 802(6) et seq.).
The grants are made to honor the memory of Officer Edward R. Byrne, a 22-year-old New York City police officer who was murdered in cold blood on February 26, 1988 as he stood guard outside the home of a drug-case witness. The murder was commissioned by a jailed New York drug king pin. The four murderers were caught and sentenced to 25 years-to-life. To preserve Officer Byrne’s legacy, the Bureau of Justice Assistance administers funds to state and local governments for programs designed to prevent crime, increase public safety, and improve the criminal justice system. Funds are allocated in a wide area that includes drug treatment and education, crime prevention, and victim and witness programs, corrections, courts and technology.
An audit of the City of Birmingham’s use of Byrne JAG money discovered that Byrne JAG funds were wrongfully spent, or in some cases, not spent at all. The audit further found that unallowable costs were charged to the fund. Sloppy record keeping was another problem the audit unearthed. In some cases it could not be determined if goals had been met because the City did not establish measurable goals, or collect data that would verify the results. The audit determined that Birmingham “generally complied” with regulations attached to grant, but offered several recommendations to amend weaknesses.
To view the results of the audit click here to go to website
|
|
|
|
