The NJ Police Chief Magazine Volume 26, Number 5 | Page 14
The New Jersey Police Chief Magazine | January 2020
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are not only individuals but also businesses, organizations, the general public, and unknown victims.)
Of the about 4.7 million victims who were individuals, a little more than half (51.1 percent) were female and 48.1 per-
cent were male. Gender was unknown for less than 1 percent of the victims.
Law enforcement reported information on about 5.6 million known offenders via NIBRS. Of the known offenders, most offend-
ers (61.5 percent) were male, 25.5 percent were female, and gender for 13.0 percent was unknown. More than half (51 per-
cent) of the victims knew their offenders (or at least one offender when more than one was present) but did not have a famil-
ial relationship to the offender.
Nearly 25 percent of the victims were related to their offenders (or at least one offender when more than one was present).
More information is available in the full NIBRS report, NIBRS interactive map, and in the Crime Data Explorer tool.
To learn more about the transition to NIBRS, visit fbi.gov/nibrs.
Justice Department Awards over $62 Million to Support Health and
Safety of Law Enforcement Officers
The US Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs has announced it has awarded funding totaling over $62 million to
provide services designed to protect officers and improve overall public safety. OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance and National
Institute of Justice awarded grants to law enforcement departments, local jurisdictions, and training, technical assistance and
research organizations throughout the United States.
“The Office of Justice Programs stands proudly with the Attorney General and the President in our commitment to the 700,000
sworn law enforcement professionals who selflessly put their lives on the line to keep us all safe,” said OJP’s Principal Deputy
Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan. “Bulletproof vests, body-worn cameras, health and safety research—these
resources will provide officers the training, equipment and strategies needed to enable them to do their jobs effectively and
keep them safe from harm.”
The FBI’s official crime data for 2019 reflects a decrease in the number of law enforcement officers feloniously killed between
2018 and 2019 (43 killed through September 2018 and 32 killed as of Sept. 30, 2019). There was also a slight decrease in the
number of law enforcement officers reported accidentally killed in 2019 (29) as compared to the same reporting period in 2018
(33).
Still, there were almost 60,000 assaults against officers in 2018, according to the latest data available from the FBI.
Nearly $23 million will support the training and implementation of law enforcement agencies’ body-worn camera programs.
Another $21 million will reimburse jurisdictions for up to 50 percent of the cost of body armor vests, while over $14.8 million
will support law enforcement safety and wellness programs, research and services.
In addition, over $3 million is allocated for research and evaluation of safety, health and wellness priorities. These investments
include the development of ballistic vests, studies of in-vehicle safety and the evaluation of less-lethal technologies to increase
police and public safety.
A full list of the awards, organized under specific grant programs and listed awardees by state, is available online at https://
go.usa.gov/xpxd3.
Additional information about Fiscal Year 2019 grant awards made by the Office of Justice Programs can be found online at
the OJP Awards Data webpage.
The Office of Justice Programs, directed by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan, provides federal
leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce
crime, assist victims and enhance the rule of law by strengthening the criminal and juvenile justice systems. More information
about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.
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