Clermont County officials discuss JAG grant for digital forensics equipment; board pauses on signature

Ken Mullis, representing the Clermont County coroner's office and the county prosecutor, asked the Board of County Commissioners on Aug. 20 to sign pre-award conditions for a state JAG grant to buy digital-forensics equipment and software.

The grant, from the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services, is for $147,731.30 and "will basically buy every piece of digital forensics equipment we need, software, forensic computers," Mullis said. He told the board the equipment would support homicide investigations and Internet Crimes Against Children cases.

Mullis said the award was created after an earlier application was denied and that officials had "appealed that" and the state crafted a grant specifically for Clermont County. He asked the commissioners to acknowledge that the county met pre-award conditions so the state could issue the award; he planned to return to a later meeting for formal acceptance.

Why it matters: Mullis said the grant would let Clermont County build a local digital forensics capability that could lower violent-crime and Internet-crime metrics locally and for neighboring agencies. The county would also seek additional federal and state funding, including a…