Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford has announced $608,832 in new grant funds to fight the heroin and opioid epidemic.
As reported in an Administration press release, the grant funds are from the federal Byrne Justice Assistance Grants (BJAG) program and will be administered by the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention (GOCCP). The grants will be used for programs that identify and apprehend drug dealers; help Maryland families battling substance abuse; and provide Medically Assisted Treatment (MAT) programs and other re-entry programs to inmates at local detention centers.
The press release included a breakdown of the grant funding to new programs in nine counties:
| Jurisdiction | Agency | Project Description | Award Amount |
| Allegany | Allegany County State’s Attorney’s Office | Prosecution Partnership Targeting Priority Offenders in Cumberland and Allegany County | $55,532 |
| Baltimore City | The Family Recovery Program, Inc. | Partners in Recovery Together (PIRT) provides Peer Recovery Advocates to work with clients in substance abuse programs. | $100,000 |
| Carroll | Hampstead Police Department | Mobile License Plate Reader Technology uses LPR to identify criminal activity including illegal drug activity. | $18,150 |
| Charles | The Center for Children, Inc. | The Adolescent Substance Use Integration Initiative funds a new DHMH-licensed treatment program in Southern Maryland. | $69,000 |
| Charles | Charles County Circuit Court | The Family Recovery Court program supports families that need services because of parental substance abuse. Funds support Medically Assisted Treatment (MAT) as well as short- and long-term residential treatment. | $98,554 |
| Howard | Howard County Dept. of Corrections | Targeted Reentry Services funds programs that include MAT support services, mediation, and a Strengthening Families Program. | $49,706 |
| Montgomery | Montgomery County Police Department | Heroin Overdose Prevention Program funds heroin paraphernalia education and funds for criminal investigations & forensic analysis. | $35,000 |
| St. Mary’s | St. Mary’s County Government | Project Kicking the Habit is a pilot MAT Re-entry program for county detention center inmates. | $52,000 |
| Somerset | Somerset County Local Management Board | The Collaborative Anti-Gang Enforcement & Strategies program will use funds to purchase equipment including cameras and a radar unit, and provide gang investigation training. | $130,890 |
| Total | $608,832 |
For more information read the full press release.
