MONTGOMERY— The director of a national law enforcement group spent yesterday and today in Montgomery getting acquainted with the staff of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs and discussing the department’s law enforcement grant programs.

ADECA Director Jim Byard Jr. thanked Cabell Cropper, executive director of the National Criminal Justice Association, for the service his organization provides and welcomed him to the state. The Washington, D.C.-based association offers support and technical assistance to state agencies that administer grant programs made available by the U.S. Department of Justice, including the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant and the Victims of Crime Act program. This is the association’s first visit to Alabama.

“Through our law enforcement grant programs, ADECA provides vital resources that help fight crime, prosecute offenders and assist victims,” Byard said. “We are delighted to have the opportunity to confer with Mr. Cropper about ways we can work with the association to strengthen the programs we administer on behalf of the people of Alabama.”

During the visit, Cropper met with staff members from ADECA’s Law Enforcement and Traffic Safety Division. In the 2012 fiscal year, the division administered 280 grants totaling $24.5 million to support local law enforcement officers, rehabilitate juvenile offenders and assist crime victims. The Byrne Justice Assistance Grant program funds drug and violent crime task forces across the state and helps police and sheriff’s departments purchase needed equipment like patrol vehicles and communications gear. Victims of Crime Act grants help dozens of nonprofit agencies that provide free professional assistance to victims of child abuse and domestic violence.

While in Montgomery, Cropper also met with David Perry, Governor Bentley’s Chief of Staff, and attended a meeting of the Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center.

“The meetings with Jim Byard and ADECA staff and the Governor’s Chief of Staff have provided a valuable perspective on the good work being done in Alabama,” Cropper said. “I look forward to continuing the collaboration between the National Criminal Justice Association and ADECA.”

In addition to law enforcement and traffic safety, ADECA administers an array of programs supporting economic development, energy conservation, workforce development, water resource management and recreation development.