The U.S. Department of Justice has announced more than $1.2 million in grants awarded to agencies and entities to support law enforcement and public safety initiatives in the Southern District of Georgia, including a grant for the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office.

The Liberty County Sheriff’s Office received a $99,000 grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s The Kevin and Avonte Program. Through its Bringing the Lost Home Project, the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, primarily through its K9 Unit, will partner with Senior Citizens Inc. and Magnolia Manor Nursing Home and in each public school to operate a proactive program to locate or prevent the wandering of individuals with dementia or developmental disabilities.

These federal grants include funding for the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, a key component of the Department of Justice’s strategy for reducing violent crime, and funding from the Office on Violence Against Women, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.

“In addition to fueling the fight against violent crime through Project Safe Neighborhoods, these grants will assist local agencies and communities in keeping their residents safe and improving outcomes for vulnerable citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg.

The end-of-fiscal-year 2023 PSN grant to the Southern District of Georgia of $98,657, administered by the Bureau of Justice Assistance through Georgia’s Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, will distribute funding to Savannah, Augusta, and Brunswick, the three most populous cities in the Southern District, in collaboration with local public safety agencies to help achieve reductions in violent crime.

“Every sector of our society – not only the justice system, but nonprofit and faith-based groups, local leaders, and advocates, and people with lived experience who serve as credible messengers – plays a critical role in ensuring public safety and public health,” said OJP Assistant Attorney General Amy L. Solomon. “The Office of Justice Programs is proud to make these substantial investments in building community infrastructure and supporting communities as co-producers of safety and justice.”