Task Force on Drugs
The Task Force on Drugs serves as the administering entity of federal grant monies from
the U.S. Department of Justice through the Edward Byrne Memorial State and Local Law
Enforcement Assistance Formula Grant Program (Byrne Grant). Funds are provided to
assist state and local units of government in carrying out programs that improve the
functioning of the criminal justice system and enhance drug control efforts.
The Statewide Strategy for Drug and Violent Crime
Control includes the following priorities:
- Increase the manpower and other resources needed to
address the drug and violent crime issues facing the law enforcement community in the
State;
- Increase the manpower and other resources needed to
address the drug and violent crime issues facing the prosecution community in the
State;
- Provide institutional treatment programming for the
chemically dependent offender;
- Provide programming to meet the identified needs of
adjudicated juveniles;
- Provide prison industry projects designed to place
inmates in a realistic working and training environment which will enable them to
acquire marketable skills; and
- Address criminal justice issues of Native Americans and
other minorities.
Projects supported by the Byrne Grant include:
- State Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Task Force and
Prosecution Component
To provide support to State and local law enforcement and prosecution agencies in
developing multi-agency projects to investigate and prosecute narcotics traffickers and
conspirators.
Ten agents, five drug prosecutors, and support staff are funded to address drug and
violent crime offenses on a statewide basis.
- Forensic Lab DNA Project
To provide funds and training for the SD Forensic Lab to offer forensic DNA testing
services to SD law enforcement and judiciary. Biological physical evidence samples
associated with violent crimes will be analyzed utilizing PCR DNA STR testing methods.
The success of the project will offer law enforcement the 13 Short Tandem Repeats (STR)
approved as the current forensic DNA Index System (NDIS)/Combined DNA Index System (CODIS)
managed by the FBI.
Projects to address the other priority areas are funded
through other State government departments.
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