ROCKINGHAM — More than $200,000 in funding is coming to Richmond County from the Governor’s Crime Commission to help law enforcement and a local nonprofit.
The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office was awarded a grant of $28,894 to purchase new mobile data terminals.
According to the narrative description, the terminals will allow deputies to work closer with local departments, EMS and fire departments in fighting the ongoing opioid crisis by ensuring deputies stay online with the new computer-aided dispatch system that allows them to “see and respond to calls.”
Richmond County has the third-highest fentanyl-related death rate in the state and the second-highest drug overdose death rate.
New Horizons Life and Family Services received a grant totaling $173,004.84 to help in its efforts to reduce domestic violence and sexual abuse in the county.
“Women, men, and children are affected by domestic violence daily and we want to be present to assist them with services to live a violence-free life,” reads the narrative.
New Horizons offers a 24-hour crisis line, crisis and preventative counseling, court accompaniment, emergency transportation, community outreach and a shelter for victims and children to escape domestic abuse. All services are free to victims and children.
The organization typically holds a domestic violence vigil each October and a sexual assault awareness march in April.
Click here to read about the most recent domestic violence vigil.
Click here to read about the most recent sexual assault awareness march.
The local grants are a portion of the $41.5 million allocated to fund more than 240 criminal justice initiatives across the state.
According to a press release, the funding “will support services for victims of crime and the rehabilitation of juvenile offenders, as well as law enforcement initiatives including training facilities, accreditation, mental health intervention, and the acquisition of body armor, technology and non-lethal weapons.”
“The state has access to federal funding that will cover about half of the 500 grant applications received this year,” Caroline Farmer, executive director of the GCC, said in the release. “It was a very competitive field, and my team will work to identify additional funding resources that might allow us to support applicants not approved today.”
The federal funding sources include:
- Byrne Justice Assistance: Support for law enforcement, prosecution and court programs
- Children’s Justice Act: Services through all phases of child welfare
- Juvenile Justice/Title II: Services for justice-involved and at-risk youth
- Victims of Crime Act: Support for crime victims and their families
- Violence Against Women Act: Improvement of the response to violent crimes against women
The sheriff’s office grant came from Byrne Justice Assistance and the New Horizons funding was through the Victims of Crime Act.
The grants were approved June 1 and announced June 5. The RO received local details on July 5.
