DCJS details roughly $115 million in community‑violence grants, urges planning and standardized evaluation

Tracy Jenkins, director of the Division of Programs and Services at the Department of Criminal Justice Services, told the Senate Public Safety Subcommittee that DCJS manages several nonreverting grant streams to reduce community violence and that, "approximately a $115,000,000 per year [is] available for different grant programs around the Commonwealth." Jenkins said that since FY23 DCJS has awarded roughly $114,800,000 across 242 grants to about 140 distinct entities, including 104 localities or state agencies and 36 nonprofit organizations.

Jenkins described three principal funding streams. The Safer Communities program is an earmarked stream directed to four localities—Norfolk, Portsmouth, Roanoke and Richmond—and provides a $2,500,000 base per locality plus a population‑based proportional share. Operation Ceasefire, she said, is "much more law enforcement and prosecutor based" and in recent appropriations (FY25) includes restrictions that funds for law enforcement equipment be limited to forensic and analytical uses and that Operation Ceasefire awards not be made to state agencies. The Firearm Violence Intervention and Prevention program (FVIP) targets community‑based nonprofits, hospitals, public housing authorities and local governments and requires at least $1,500,000 annually to be awarded to localities with disproportionate firearm‑related homicide rates.

Jenkins gave program totals from DCJS records: Operation Ceasefire has produced roughly 141 grants totaling over $37,000,000 and FVIP about 80 multiyear grants totaling over $31,000,000. She described grantee uses that include prosecutors, victim‑witness advocates, program coordinators, hospital‑based intervention programs and violence interrupter teams. Jenkins emphasized that grantees report quarterly and that DCJS applies a risk‑based monitoring plan (high/medium/low) with desk reviews, virtual and on‑site monitoring and technical assistance to build local capacity.

Senators pressed Jenkins on measuring outcomes and use of funds. Jenkins said DCJS is working with Virginia Commonwealth University on evaluations mandated in appropriation language; she said the Operation Ceasefire evaluation is expected by May 1 and the safer communities evaluation by June 30, 2026. On the question whether a billboard referencing Operation Ceasefire was paid with grant funds, Jenkins said early grants to the attorney general's office and later appropriations to that office likely explain the billboard spending.

Jenkins closed by stressing lessons learned: rapid infusions of funding require planning time and local capacity building, performance measures must be standardized across diverse local programs to compare results, and DCJS will continue trainings, solicitations and convenings in 2026 as appropriation funds permit.

The subcommittee did not take any formal votes on the DCJS presentation; members requested follow‑up data on actual expenditures for recently awarded grants and on grantee spending rates for the most recent award rounds.