Shapiro-Davis Administration Approves $80 Million in Funding to Support Law Enforceme...

Harrisburg, PA - This week, members of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD), took action to approve $80 million in a variety of grants to improve crime reporting, help law enforcement upgrade equipment, support victims of crime and victim service providers, and support county jail-based medication-assisted treatment for individuals with substance use disorder.​

"The Commission took a significant step in advancing public safety by approving $80 million in funding to enhance our law enforcement capabilities and provide critical support to victims of crime," said Mike Pennington, PCCD Executive Director. "The funding approved today will modernize our crime reporting systems to meet national standards, bolster law enforcement equipment and technology, and fund vital services for crime victims across Pennsylvania."

The approved grant funding includes $5.8 million in grant funding to support law enforcement system upgrades which will enable the reporting of crime statistics to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) NIBRS. As of January 1, 2021, NIBRS became the national standard for law enforcement crime data reporting in the United States. The data collected through NIBRS provides the ability to capture details on criminal incidents, including information on victims, known offenders, relationships between victims and offenders, arrestees, and property involved in crimes.

Pennsylvania is well behind other states in the nation in fully utilizing NIBRS, making it challenging to accurately capture statewide and jurisdiction-specific crime trends. While Pennsylvania has made progress increasing NIBRS compliance statewide thanks to recent investments, currently, only 42 percent of Pennsylvania's population is covered by a police department that is utilizing NIBRS and only 10 percent of local law enforcement agencies are reporting criminal statistics to the FBI through NIBRS.

This funding will allow the 68 approved law enforcement entities to use funding for software, hardware, and labor needed to install NIBRS-compliant record management systems; training on how to collect and submit NIBRS data; and/or technical assistance for personnel responsible for data collection and submission.

"This funding will allow Central Bucks Regional Police Department to upgrade our technology infrastructure to provide greater specificity in reporting statistics through NIBRS compliance," said Central Bucks Regional PoliceChief Karl Knott. "We look forward to the benefit of maximizing our resources through actionable intelligence, more accurate analysis of crime, and data sharing across agencies to increase clearance rates."

Commission-Approved NIBRS Awards (pending the resolution of any outstanding programmatic or fiscal concerns)