BJA FY 20 Gulf States Regional Law Enforcement Technology Assistance Initiative | BJA 2020 17273

Opportunity Information: Apply for BJA 2020 17273

The BJA FY 20 Gulf States Regional Law Enforcement Technology Assistance Initiative is a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), aimed at strengthening law enforcement technology capabilities and information sharing across the five Gulf Shore states: Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas. The core purpose of the initiative is to fund a single training and technical assistance (TTA) provider that will build and deliver a regional program supporting local law enforcement agencies as they modernize, deploy, sustain, and better use technologies tied to crime prevention and investigation. The overall emphasis is on helping agencies improve how they gather, analyze, and disseminate information that is critical for investigating crimes, reporting suspicious activity, and responding effectively to threats in their communities.

Rather than funding many separate local projects directly, this solicitation is structured to identify one primary provider that can serve as the regional hub for training, technology support, and hands-on technical assistance. That provider is expected to develop a program that local law enforcement can actively draw on when they need help implementing or maintaining technology and information-sharing projects within their jurisdictions. Assistance is intended to be practical and deployable, meaning agencies can request support to stand up new capabilities or to sustain and improve existing systems, including efforts that require coordination with neighboring or adjacent agencies. A key outcome is improved collaboration across jurisdictional lines, which is often essential when criminal activity, threats, or suspicious behavior span multiple cities, counties, or regions.

A major priority embedded in the opportunity is enhancing information and intelligence sharing among local agencies and fusion centers, and strengthening connections that include federal and state partners. The initiative is designed to help close common gaps that occur when agencies operate with different tools, inconsistent processes, or limited resources to transform raw observations and reports into actionable intelligence. By improving the flow of relevant, timely information, the program supports better investigative leads, stronger situational awareness, and more coordinated responses to crime and suspicious activity, especially in a region where shared risks and cross-border mobility can complicate enforcement efforts.

In terms of funding and structure, the opportunity is offered as a grant with an award ceiling of $3,000,000, and BJA anticipated making one award, reinforcing the intent to select a single regional TTA provider. The opportunity was posted on February 19, 2020, with an original closing date of April 21, 2020. Eligible applicants include county governments, city or township governments, special district governments, and federally recognized Native American tribal governments, as well as other entities as permitted under the solicitation’s additional eligibility guidance. The program falls under CFDA 16.843 and aligns with activity areas spanning law, justice, and legal services, as well as training and information or statistics-related support, reflecting its combined focus on operational policing needs and the systems that enable effective analysis and sharing.

Taken together, this grant opportunity is best understood as an investment in a regional support engine: a centralized provider that can raise the baseline of law enforcement technology capacity across the Gulf states, promote consistent practices for handling and sharing critical information, and help local agencies build durable, interoperable approaches to intelligence and data-driven policing in partnership with fusion centers and state and federal stakeholders.

• The Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance in the employment, labor and training, humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda), information and statistics, law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BJA FY 20 Gulf States Regional Law Enforcement Technology Assistance Initiative" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.843.
• This funding opportunity was created on Feb 19, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 21, 2020. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $3,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for BJA 2020 17273

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