Gov. Robert Bentley has awarded $235,363 to assist victims of domestic violence in northwest Alabama in obtaining justice against their offenders.
The grants will be used for investigation and prosecutorial services in Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Marion and Winston counties.
“Domestic violence impacts lives and tears families apart in every region of Alabama,” Bentley said. “We must give law enforcement the tools they need to battle this crime and we must be willing to show compassion to people who are affected by this needless act.”
Bentley awarded a $90,000 grant to Lawrence County and a $50,000 grant to Winston and Marion counties to support specialized law enforcement efforts focused on domestic violence crimes in those counties.
A $64,963 grant awarded to the Lauderdale County District Attorney’s Office along with a $30,400 grant to Safeplace Inc. will ensure services needed to help domestic violence victims are available in Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Marion and Winston counties.
The funds from the U.S. Department of Justice are administered by the Law Enforcement and Traffic Safety Division of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.
“ADECA partners with law enforcement and nonprofit agencies across the state each year to help victims receive the professional assistance and the legal services they need to bring abusers to justice,” ADECA Director Jim Byard Jr. said. “I am proud of our partnership with these agencies and the work they do.”
ADECA manages a range of programs that support law enforcement, economic development, recreation, energy conservation and water resource management.