Federal grants to help NC fight guns, drugs, school violence

North Carolina law enforcement agencies, state agencies, schools and nonprofits can tap into $165 million in grants to battle crime, drug abuse, school violence, domestic violence and juvenile delinquency, authorities said Friday.

Posted 8:22 p.m. Nov 1, 2019 — Updated 8:22 p.m. Nov 1, 2019

Laura Leslie

, WRAL Capitol Bureau chief

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina law enforcement agencies, state agencies, schools and nonprofits can tap into $165 million in grants to battle crime, drug abuse, school violence, domestic violence and juvenile delinquency, authorities said Friday.

The grants are part of a $5.2 billion national push by President Donald Trump's administration to invest dollars at the community level to fight drug trafficking and gun violence and promote community policing.

"Law enforcement across the state are facing unprecedented challenges every day," Robert Higdon, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, said during a news conference. "They face violent and dangerous criminals, they face resource challenges in terms of money, equipment and training, and they face real challenges to their safety, wellness and well-being as they take on this tough work on our behalf."

Durham County, for example, will receive $191,000 for officer training and community policing efforts. The city of Durham has struggled this year with gun violence, including a string of shootings this week that killed two people and wounded several others.

"We're all very concerned with some of the violence we've seen in Durham recently," said Matthew Martin, U.S. attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina. "We're bringing federal resources to bear to try to stem the tide. Durham, right now, has shootings and murders up this year, which is unacceptable."

The state Department of Public Safety and the Department of Health and Human Services got grants to fight opioid addiction. Gov. Roy Cooper said the state is making progress in its efforts to combat opioids, noting overdose deaths, emergency room visits and overall prescriptions are down recently.

The state Department of Public Instruction and several school districts won grants to improve school safety, and the State Bureau of Investigation won nearly $1 million for its new threat assessment team to prevent school violence.

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