The long beach city prosecutor, notes that over the past decade, police officers have been increasingly assigned the task of assisting the unhoused

The City of Long Beach, California was awarded a $350,000 Project Grant under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program by the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance. The grant will be used to expand the impact of a previous BJA FY 19 grant by developing effective strategies to combat and prosecute violent crime while supporting marginalized communities, including the unhoused, mentally ill, and those struggling with substance abuse. The funding will facilitate a collaborative model focused on the strategic use of technology to improve information sharing between police and prosecutors' offices in Long Beach. The goal is to enhance public safety, reduce crime, and support innovative approaches to criminal justice challenges impacting vulnerable populations.

Individuals experiencing homelessness often intersect with mentally ILL and drug addicted populations, contributing to complex social and public health challenges. LOS angeles county (including long beach) have sought to improve access to mental health services and implement diversion programs to steer individuals away from the criminal justice system and into treatment. In long beach, prior to 2021, despite concerted efforts to address the needs of those struggling with mental illness, substance abuse and housing, a critical barrier to access to services persisted: a lack of shared information between law enforcement agencies and prosecutor offices. This deficiency not only obstructed the delivery of justice but exacerbated the vulnerabilities of these marginalized communities. In 2019, the long beach city prosecutors office (lbcpo) applied for the BJA FY 19 smart prosecution grant in an effort to develop effective strategies to combat and prosecute violent crime while supporting marginalized communities (including the unhoused, mentally ILL and those struggling with substance abuse) through the use of innovative technology. The city of long beach will utilize this funding to expand the impact of the BJA FY 19 grant, through a collaborative model that focuses on the strategic use of technology in support of information sharing between police and prosecutors' offices in the jurisdiction of the lacpa.