Carroll County State’s Attorney’s Office nets over $300K in grants to fund 3 staff positions, overtime

Two grants from the governor’s office will fund three positions in the Carroll County Office of the State’s Attorney.

About $265,700 from the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention, Youth, and Victim Services will continue funding a full-time prosecuting attorney and a crime analyst, who will work closely with law enforcement agencies and collaborate with other prosecutors’ offices in Maryland, a news release from the Office of the State’s Attorney reads. The grant will help continue the office’s efforts to “gather data and information for the successful prosecution and dismantling of criminal networks as part of the Maryland Criminal Intelligence Network (MCIN),” the release states.

The grant will also fund allied law enforcement overtime, plus software and equipment to support MCIN objectives. Cara Frieman, special counsel to the state’s attorney, will supervise the grant project.

Additionally, the Office of the State’s Attorney received a grant of nearly $43,900 from the governor’s office of crime prevention to continue funding a full-time crime victim and witness advocate, according to a second news release.

The grant is dedicated to funding the position for fiscal year 2021 and will allow the Office of the State’s Attorney “to continue building on the previous years’ efforts, when the office was awarded a full-time crime victim and witness advocate grant-funded position,” the release reads.

The project’s goal is to assist the victim and witness unit, which reaches out to witnesses and victims involved in criminal prosecutions, the release states. The position will continue supporting the unit’s increased workload and allow for a more proactive approach to ensure “victims understand their rights and are aware of available resources,” according to the release.

State’s Attorney Brian DeLeonardo, who chairs the Governor’s Council on Gangs and Violent Criminal Networks, thanked the governor’s office for the funding.

“We are incredibly appreciative of Governor Larry Hogan’s proactive approach to addressing violent crime through the state and grateful for our partnership with the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention, Youth, and Victim Services,” he said in the MCIN release.

Speaking to the advocate position, DeLeonardo said the funds will “enable us to provide an even greater level of services to victims of crime in our county.”