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Kendall County accepts $700,000 DOJ grant to bolster cybercrime, digital‑forensics capacity
Summary
The commissioners accepted a $700,000 Office for Violence Against Women grant to fund software, training, and a new analyst/victim‑advocate position to support local and regional digital evidence processing and cybercrime investigations (FY2026–2029).
Kendall County Commissioners Court voted 5–0 on April 28 to accept a $700,000 award from the Office for Violence Against Women (U.S. Department of Justice) to support enforcement of cybercrime investigations from May 1, 2026 through April 30, 2029.
County staff and criminal‑justice partners said the grant will finance software licensing (including Cellebrite and other forensic tools), training, and the creation of a position to analyze digital evidence for prosecutors and investigators. A DA's office representative described the analyst role as a crime‑analysis function that will process large volumes of downloaded digital data and produce digestible reports for prosecutors: "That raw data goes through it and draws up a report for prosecutors to use as evidence in those cases," the presenter said.
Speakers noted the grant is the first step toward establishing a regional lab and that continued county investment may be necessary after the grant period to sustain the capability. County officials said the award requires no local match and authorized the county judge to execute necessary documents.
The acceptance and authorization to execute documents passed unanimously; staff will proceed with required contract and budget steps to implement the grant program and return updates to the court.
