NAPO Washington Reports

NAPO participated in a listening session at the Department of Justice

August 6, 2013
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On Wednesday, July 31, 2013, NAPO participated in a Department of Justice (DOJ) Listening Session held by the recently confirmed Assistant Attorney General (AAG) for the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Karol V. Mason.  The Listening Session provided NAPO with the opportunity to stress its top priorities to the new AAG, including funding for the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Program, the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne-JAG) Program, and the Bulletproof Vest Partnership (BVP) Grant Program. 

NAPO was excited to hear that AAG Mason has spent a great deal of time coordinating with COPS Office leadership to ensure the program will continue to thrive well into the future.

The following includes additional background on AAG Mason:

  • As head of the OJP, AAG Mason oversees an annual budget of more than $2 billion dedicated to supporting state, local, and tribal criminal justice agencies; an array of juvenile justice programs; a wide range of research, evaluation, and statistical efforts; and comprehensive services for crime victims.
  • From 2009-2012 Mason served at the Justice Department as Deputy Associate Attorney General with oversight responsibility for the Tax Division, the Office of Justice Programs, the Office on Violence Against Women, and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. During this time, Mason headed a cross-department initiative to address criminal justice issues in New Orleans, led Attorney General Holder’s Defending Childhood Initiative, and helped create its Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence, forming partnerships on this issue with the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services. Mason was responsible for the implementation of the Combined Tribal Assistance Solicitation (CTAS), which consolidates all of the Justice Department’s tribal grants under a single solicitation.

NAPO very much appreciated the opportunity to partake in the Listening Session, and looks forward to continued collaboration with OJP to ensure criminal justice and public safety priorities are addressed.

If you have any questions about this event, please contact Melissa Nee at:  mnee@napo.org.

SOURCE

"USDOJ: Karol V. Mason Sworn-In as Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs." USDOJ: Karol
V. Mason Sworn-In as Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Aug. 2013.