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Mental Health and Community Safety Initiative for American Indian/Alaska
Native Children, Youth and Families
The COPS Mental Health and Community Safety Initiative for American
Indian/Alaska Native Children, Youth and Families (MHCSI) is one of several
grant programs intended to meet the most serious needs of law enforcement in
Native American communities. MHCSI not only offers funding for the salaries and
benefits of newly hired officers to serve as school resource officers or
community resource officers, but also provides funding for law enforcement
training, uniforms, basic issue equipment, and technology and vehicles for both
new and existing police officers. Resources funded through this initiative must
be used to enhance the ability of law enforcement agencies to address the mental
health, behavioral, and substance abuse needs of Native American youth and their
families by developing innovative strategies that focus on establishing
collaborative partnerships with other community service agencies. The initiative
is designed to help law enforcement provide a range of youth support services
and programs in both the community and the school system.
COPS awarded MHCSI funding in both FY2000 and FY2001, and a total of $550,000
was available under this program in FY2002. This COPS grant program is part of a
collaborative initiative that also includes the Department of Education, the
Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Justice's Office
of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. As such, MHCSI will provide
tribes and tribal organizations with easy-to-access assistance through a
coordinated federal grant process.
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