The city of mcallen was invited to apply by the department of justice to the justice assistance (BJA) grant

The City of McAllen, Texas was awarded a $250,000 Project Grant from the Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Assistance under the Congressionally Recommended Awards program (CFDA 16.753). The grant funding will support the McAllen Police Department's "Project Grey Key" initiative to purchase advanced forensic equipment and software for use by forensic examiners. The new technology will enable improved law enforcement techniques to promote safety in McAllen and neighboring communities in the Rio Grande Valley region through September 2023. The Department of Justice grant program aims to enhance the criminal justice system and prevent juvenile delinquency. This award will allow the McAllen Police Department to modernize its digital forensics capabilities, serving citizens of the local area.

The mcallen police department seeks to continue, improve, and/or become innovative in its methodology and implementation of law enforcement techniques. Support for this goal is noted in the city of mcallen's strategic plan which states strategy 4.2: "promote and enhance safety in the community". The proposed project under this grant funding opportunity supports the "project grey key" initiative that aims to advance the efforts to meet mcallen's strategy 4.2. This project seeks to purchase high-end, cutting-edge equipment and software for the mcallen police department; specifically, for the forensic examiners in the division. The service area will include the city of mcallen, as well as neighboring cities in the area and county. Intended beneficiaries from this project will include citizens of the RIO grande valley.