LANCASTER COUNTY, S.C. (CN2 NEWS) – The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office is working to utilize nearly $300,000 in grant funding that leaders say will help support a three-year crime reduction project that aims to connect criminal justice agencies while also promoting community collaboration.
Officials confirm the Sheriff’s Office is one of only 37 jurisdictions across the nation to receive this grant opportunity from the United States Department of Justice.
As part of the project, Sheriff Barry Faile says a Criminal Justice Coordinating Council is being formed with criminal justice agencies across Lancaster, including the Police Department, solicitors office and more, who will all meet regularly to address needs in the County’s criminal justice system.
Sheriff Faile says this Crime reduction project will also aim to promote collaboration with six outreach fairs being held each year to improve community relations.
He added this will also help officers dissect individual needs and will make it easier to direct people to resources that can help with overcoming mental health issues and drug abuse problems.
Officers say the final aspect will be to design a software program called Risk Terrain Modeling, that will help responders gather data to identify places where crime is more likely to occur, giving authorities insight on where they should be focusing their efforts.
