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Kendall County approves submission of two federal OVW grant applications for cybercrime and domestic-violence work
Summary
Court authorized staff to submit two Office on Violence Against Women grant applications — one to strengthen cybercrime enforcement and one to enhance investigation and prosecution of domestic and sexual violence cases. Both applications carry three-year project windows and require no county matching funds for the application period.
BOERNE, Texas — Kendall County authorized submission of two federal grant applications from the U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) on Tuesday, seeking funding for enhanced cybercrime enforcement and for improved investigation and prosecution of domestic-violence, sexual-assault and stalking cases.
Court staff described the first application as a cybercrimes enforcement grant with a potential award up to $700,000 over 36 months. The grant would fund training for law enforcement and prosecutors, and could support acquisition of equipment and software used to extract and analyze digital evidence (the meeting transcript used the informal term “phone dumps” to describe cellular data extraction). The grant deadline was extended to Aug. 12, staff said. County staff noted the award is highly competitive and typically targets a small number of awards nationwide; the solicitation prioritizes rural applicants among other categories.
The second application is for OVW’s “enhancing investigation and prosecution” program aimed at domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking; the county requested authorization to apply for up to $500,000 across 36 months. The application deadline for that program is July 10. Staff said the awards would support prosecution, investigative capacity and victim services and that there is no county match required during the grant period.
County grant coordinators told the court they would coordinate the budget narratives with the district attorney’s office and sheriff’s office and aim to minimize the impact on local prosecutors’ and investigators’ time if the applications are not awarded. Commissioners approved both submissions by voice vote; motions were made and seconded by the judge and carried 5-0.
Discussion points: Commissioners asked about the grants’ competitiveness, priorities (rural emphasis), whether continuation funding could be pursued beyond the 36-month period, and potential ongoing costs if the county continued programs after grant funding ended. Staff said continuation awards could be sought later but any long-term county financial commitment would be considered only after grant awards and additional planning.
What’s next: Staff will finalize application materials and file the OVW applications; if awarded, the county will develop implementation plans with the sheriff’s office and the district attorney for training, software licensing and any staffed positions included in the budgets.
Speakers quoted in this article include grant coordinators and county commissioners who discussed the two OVW applications during the June 10 meeting.
