Office of Criminal Justice Assistance
History 

The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 established the Edward Byrne Memorial Grant and the National Criminal History Improvement Program. The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, Section 1308(a) established that the chief executive of each state shall designate a state office for the purpose of obtaining and administering funds under section 1302 of this title. The Office of Criminal Justice Assistance currently administers up to ten grants U.S. Department of Justice programs and has brought over $81 million in federal funds into Nevada.

In 1987 the Office of Criminal Justice Assistance (OCJA) was established to obtain, administer and sub-grant to state and local government agencies grant funds from the U.S. Department of Justice and became the State Administrative Agency (SAA) for the Edward Byrne Memorial State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance formula grant. Located in Carson City, Nevada's capital, OCJA has grown from a small two person office into a seven person office housed under the Department of Public Safety.

It is the mission of the State Administrative Agency to reduce violent crime and substance abuse in Nevada by extending support to law enforcement agencies throughout the state. Given the scale of these problems, it is clear no one entity can address these complex issues alone. Every discipline and agency has an important contribution to make. Creating a comprehensive justice system requires ensuring that the various components of the system work together through support and information sharing. The State Administrative Agency encourages applicants for the Byrne grant funds to work closely with other criminal justice agencies to promote comprehensive, innovative, strategies to address community and statewide substance abuse and violent crime problems. The SAA also works diligently to coordinate Byrne grant funds with other justice grants to further enhance Nevada's mission.

Two of the OCJA employees are dedicated to the 1033 and 1122 programs (Falcon's Nest). These programs were initially established in 1989 and modified by the 1996 Defense Authorization Act, Section 1033. The program was developed to assist Nevada law enforcement agencies by using the federal procurement system for equipment purchases. Since beginning operation in 2000, the program has enabled law enforcement agencies to save from 20% to 50% over retail costs on equipment ranging from computers to gas masks. For more information visit 1033/1122 Program (formerly Falcon's Nest).