U.S. Department of Justice Awards University of Colorado Nearly $2 Million Grant to Combat Hate Crimes

DENVER - Acting United States Attorney for the District of Colorado Matt Kirsch is pleased to announce that the United States Department of Justice has awarded the University of Colorado the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Program Grant.

The grant, totaling $1,999,939, will go to support the work of The University of Colorado Boulder's Police Department (CUPD), and the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence (CSPV) to build and deliver a comprehensive approach to hate crimes prevention, intervention, and investigation for all CU locations including CU Boulder, CU Colorado Springs, and CU Denver. Funds will be used to educate audiences across the CU System and train campus officials on coordinated strategies for preventing, investigating, and addressing hate-based incidents and hate crimes in higher education. Grant funding will reach approximately 60,000 students, 23,000 faculty and staff, and 60 law enforcement officers while serving as a model for other colleges and universities around the country.

"The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado has a long-standing commitment both to investigating and prosecuting hate crimes and to engaging with the community on this topic," said Acting United States Attorney for the District of Colorado Matt Kirsch. "Public education on the tools available to prevent and address hate crimes is fundamental to these efforts, and we are proud to work with University of Colorado."

"The University of Colorado and the CU Boulder Police Department is honored to receive the Matthew Shepard and Edward Byrne Hate Crimes Grant, which will help us continue the important work of building a comprehensive approach to preventing hate crimes across the CU System," said Doreen Jokerst, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Public Safety and Chief of Police of the CU Boulder Police Department at the University of Colorado Boulder. "CUPD will continue to work collaboratively with violence prevention researchers and other experts to create an effective, broad-reaching campaign to combat targeted violence."

This grant is part of the Office of Justice Program (OJP) and its wide-ranging efforts to improve community safety, serve victims of crime, support America's youth, advance science, and promote equal justice. OJP is the largest grantmaking component of the Department of Justice and houses its criminal and juvenile justice related science and statistical units.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) offers funding opportunities to support law enforcement and public safety activities in state, local, and tribal jurisdictions; to assist victims of crime; to provide training and technical assistance; to conduct research; and to implement programs that improve the criminal, civil, and juvenile justice systems. DOJ grant-making components regularly engage with United States Attorneys' offices (USAOs) to promote outreach and communication about DOJ-funded grant programs, training, and technical assistance. Such communication helps the Department increase public awareness, access, and utilization of these resources.