U.S. Department of Justice COPS Office Grant for State Anti-Heroin and Opioid Task Forces

To advance Executive Order 13929 Safe Policing for Safe Communities, as of October 28, 2020, the Attorney General determined that all state, local, and university or college law enforcement agencies must be certified by an approved independent credentialing body or have started the certification process to be allocated FY 2023 DOJ discretionary grant funding, either as a recipient or a subrecipient. For detailed information on this new certification requirement, please visit https://cops.usdoj.gov/SafePolicingEO.

Statutory Authority

This program is authorized under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 as amended by the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, Title I, Part Q, Public Law 103-322, 34 U.S.C. § 10381 et seq.

The Attorney General shall use amounts otherwise appropriated to make competitive grants to State law enforcement agencies in States with high per capita rates of primary treatment admissions, for the purpose of locating or investigating illicit activities, through statewide collaboration, relating to the distribution of heroin, fentanyl, or carfentanil or relating to the unlawful distribution of prescription opioids.

Program Description

The AHTF program advances public safety by making competitive grants to State law enforcement agencies in States with high per capita rates of primary treatment admissions, for the purpose of locating or investigating illicit activities, through Statewide collaboration, relating to the distribution of heroin, fentanyl, or carfentanil, or relating to the unlawful distribution of prescription opioids. The goal of the AHTF program is to increase the capacity of law enforcement agencies at the state level to address heroin and opioid abuse through improving investigations and establishing and enhancing multijurisdictional task forces. By providing funding for additional law enforcement, civilian, and task force personnel, training, and equipment, the program seeks to increase the number of hours devoted to statewide task forces, increase the number and variety of agencies participating in task forces, and enhance the analytical capability of task forces. Anticipated outcomes of AHTF awards include: increased collaboration with federal agencies; increased analytical reporting; increased information sharing among participating agencies; increased number and efficiency of investigations; increased percentage of investigations resulting in arrests, referrals, prosecutions, and ultimately convictions; increased knowledge and use of community policing principles; increased number of drug-endangered children identified; and increased number of and size of drug seizures.

This is a competitive, discretionary program.

The COPS Office is committed to advancing work that promotes civil rights and racial equity, increases access to justice, supports crime victims and individuals impacted by the justice system, strengthens community safety and protects the public from crime and evolving threats, and builds trust between law enforcement and the community.