Clermont County commissioners approve pre-award acknowledgement for digital forensics lab grant to be housed at sheriff’s office

The Clermont County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 27 added and unanimously approved a pre-award conditions acknowledgment for a 2025 Office of Criminal Justice Services (OCJS) JAG grant to support a proposed digital forensics crime lab that will be operated under sheriff oversight and housed in space the sheriff’s office has offered at no cost.

County staff and elected officials told commissioners the grant is time-sensitive and funds equipment, software and salaries tied to digital forensics work, including investigations of internet crimes against children and child sexual abuse material.

The board’s action will authorize David L. Painter, president of the Board of County Commissioners, or a designee to sign the OCJS pre-award acknowledgement required to move the grant toward award and procurement. Commissioners voted yes on adding the item to the agenda and on the authorization.

County coroner Brian Traon and staff presenter Kenny Mullis described the plan to the board and said the sheriff’s office has policies and evidence-handling capabilities already in place, which they said supports housing the lab there. Mullis said grants applied for remain available, and the OCJS pre-award acknowledgement is needed quickly because the grant period has already started.

“We’re already two months into this grant period, so we’re starting to lose a little bit of time on ordering and utilizing that grant,” Mullis said during the presentation.

Sheriff Stratton, who the speakers said will oversee day-to-day operations, voiced strong support for the project and for locating the lab in the sheriff’s office. “I was 100% supportive of this technology,” Stratton said, and invited commissioners and media to visit the sheriff’s office demonstration.

The grant form presented to the board names the state OCJS JAG program (grant listing read aloud as “state grant 2022 JGAO3V6759” in the record) and lists allowable uses including criminal intelligence software, digital forensic software, salaries and related equipment for the period 07/31/2025 through 06/30/2026. The presenter read the grant amount as $149,431.30 and stated the grant is 100% funded by the Office of Criminal Justice Services with any local match waived.

Commissioners asked no substantive policy changes during the discussion and voted unanimously to add the item and to authorize the president of the board to execute the pre-award acknowledgement so OCJS may proceed with award steps.

The board did not, during the Aug. 27 session, adopt an implementing policy for lab operations beyond confirming that daily oversight will be with law enforcement and that the sheriff’s office has offered space. Further operational details, procurement steps and any staffing changes will depend on the grant award and subsequent county procurement and hiring processes.

What happens next: county staff said they are working with OCJS to complete pre-award requirements and to place orders as soon as award conditions are finalized. The grant period named in the acknowledgement runs through June 30, 2026.