Colville Tribes to get over $400k in DOJ funds

The Colville Tribes will receive over $400,000 for their inmate reentry program from a Department of Justice grant created to support public safety in tribal communities. 

Coming from the federal agency’s Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation funding, the award came as part of a package of federal grants totaling $6.9 million for state, municipal and tribal law enforcement programs, as well as medical examiner offices in Washington state. 

Specifically, the $424,623 for the Colville Tribes will go toward hiring a new reentry coordinator — a position that monitors inmates before their release, while in transition, and for six months after leaving jail.

The coordinator will help with identifying housing needs, employment, education, mental health and substance abuse counseling services, according to a press release.

Grants to other entities in the state focus on fighting the fentanyl crisis, gun violence and violence against women and children, as well as reducing the backlog of sex crime DNA testing in medical labs.

“Washington state has made tremendous progress over the past decade in nearly eliminating its 30,000 rape kit backlog, but we can’t let up — this funding will help police labs test more DNA samples faster,” Cantwell said in a press release. “These federal resources will also help us better identify fatal drug overdoses, and provide more services to support and protect women in our cities and in tribal communities.”

The grants announced by DOJ include:

$2,459,640 for the Washington State Patrol (WSP) in FY24 Formula DNA Capacity Enhancement for Backlog Reduction funding. This grant will provide additional training, supplies, equipment, and wages for the five existing casework DNA laboratories in the WSP Crime Laboratory Division. These resources will help increase the number of samples analyzed, as well as shorten the turnaround time for sample analysis.

$1,710,078 for the Quileute Indian Tribe in FY24 Office on Violence Against Women Special Tribal Criminal Jurisdiction Grant Program funding. This grant will help support the tribe in prosecuting domestic and sexual violence, trafficking, stalking, violence against children, violation of a protection order, and assault of a tribal officer. The project also aims to help the tribe maintain sovereignty, including when a crime is committed by a non-tribal member on tribal land.

$863,977 for the Lummi Indian Business Council in FY24 Office on Violence Against Women Special Tribal Criminal Jurisdiction Grant Program funding. This grant will help support the tribe in prosecuting domestic and sexual violence, trafficking, stalking, violence against children, violation of a protection order, and assault of a tribal officer. The project also aims to help the tribe maintain sovereignty, including when a crime is committed by a non-tribal member on tribal land.

$610,000 for the Kalispel Indian Community in Office on Violence Against Women FY24 Tribal Sexual Assault Services Program funds. This grant will help the Kalispel Indian Tribe hire a full-time sexual assault advocate to provide crisis intervention, emergency services, advocacy and referrals; spread awareness for resources that support survivors of sexual assault; and manage an emergency hotline.

$473,385 for the WSP in FY24 for the Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grants Program formula funding. It will be divided up across multiple law enforcement agencies to improve post-mortem exams, reduce backlogs, and better identify fatal drug overdoses. 

$268,588 for the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC) in FY24 Project Safe Neighborhoods Formula Grant Program funding. This grant will help WASPC foster strategic partnerships with state and local partners across the Pacific Northwest, with the goal of reducing juvenile gun violence.

$105,650 for the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC) in FY24 Project Safe Neighborhoods Formula Grant Program funds to help the Kennewick Police Department continue under the Project Safe Neighborhood initiative for the Eastern District of Washington. KPD launched their Project Safe Neighborhood project one year ago to focus on improving data-informed procedures for deploying police and reducing violent crime — the first year focused on establishing a strategic plan, and the second year will focus on data-informed efforts specific to gun violence.