State of Louisiana Awarded Over $4.5 Million by Justice Department to Fund State Crisis Intervention Court Proceedings

U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. announced on Wednesday, February 15, 2023, that the State of Louisiana has received $4,501,897 from the Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs’ Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) to fund state crisis intervention court proceedings, including but not limited to extreme risk protection order (ERPO) programs that work to keep guns out of the hands of those who pose a threat to themselves or others. This investment in community safety is permitted under the Safer Communities Act of 2022, a landmark piece of legislation to fight and reduce gun violence.

The Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement, the recipient of this award, is a Baton Rouge-based foundation committed to enhancing the operations of the criminal justice and juvenile justice systems and promoting public safety by providing progressive leadership and coordination within the criminal justice community.

This award provides support for the development and execution of extreme risk protection order programs, state crisis intervention court hearings, and related efforts to reduce gun violence. Extreme risk protection order programs enable family members, health care providers, school authorities, and law enforcement officers to petition a court to temporarily restrict a person’s access to weapons if they pose a threat to themselves or others. In addition, funds can support interventions such as drug, mental health, and veteran treatment courts, gun violence recovery courts, behavior health deflection, and outpatient treatment centers.

Additionally, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act attempts to guarantee that extreme risk protection order laws and programs are implemented in compliance with the Constitution and provide proper protections for due process. Projects receiving funding under this program will be required to demonstrate that they have safeguarded the constitutional rights of individuals subject to crisis intervention programs and ERPO initiatives. The Justice Department has long supported state efforts to extend the use of extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs), and in 2021 it produced model legislation to assist states in establishing their own ERPO systems and providing for intervention before warning indications lead to disaster.

The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, signed into law by President Biden in June 2022, is the most important piece of federal gun safety legislation in over three decades and is a response to recent mass shootings and to far more frequent, but no less sad, acts of community gun violence. The statute grants a total of $1.4 billion to OJP over five years, inclusive of the Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program, to create, implement, and sustain substantial investments in safer communities.

Follow this link for a complete list of awards. These grants represent the most recent effort by the Office of Justice Programs of the Department of Justice to execute this historic legislation.