Automobile Burglary and Theft Prevention Authority (ABTPA) Grant

Grants to Texas nonprofits, agencies, and business and community organizations for initiatives to raise public awareness of vehicle burglary and theft. All applicants are encouraged to attend a grant writing workshop on March 22, 2017 to review application instructions, eligibility requirements, reporting standards and grant management.

Eligible Grant Categories:

Continued Grant Category – Only available to agencies that have an FY17 grant. The application must be submitted for substantially the same program as the previous year, or FY2017. The requested funds, match funds, and in-kind match must be within 5% of the previous year. The number of staff positions must be within 5% of the total positions. These are annual competitive grants that require a minimum cash match of 20% for the program described in the application.

Modified Grant Category – Only available to agencies that have an FY17 grant. Current grantees will only enter the portion where a change of greater than 5% is made between the continued grant application and the awarded (including modifications) FY2017 budget. Changes in personnel, fringe, travel, supplies, contract, equipment or changes in number of personnel, match percent or amount would be included in this category. These are annual competitive grants that require a minimum cash match of 20% for the program described in the application.

New Grant Category – Available to all law enforcement agencies and eligible organizations. These are annual competitive grants that require a minimum cash match of 20% for the program described in the application.

To be eligible for consideration for funding, a project must be designed to support one or more of the following ABTPA program categories:

- Law Enforcement, Detection, and Apprehension - provide financial support to law enforcement agencies for economic automobile theft enforcement teams (referred to as taskforces). Taskforces will develop organized methods to combat motor vehicle burglary and theft through enforcement of law, detection of criminal enterprise and /or apprehension of law violators and groups.

- Prosecution/Adjudication/Conviction - provide financial support to prosecutors and judicial agencies for programs designed to reduce the incidence of economic automobile burglary and theft. Taskforces may incorporate this program category into the organized methods to combat motor vehicle burglary and theft.

- Prevention, Anti-Theft Devices and Automobile Registration - provide financial support to law enforcement agencies, local prosecutors, judicial agencies, and neighborhood, community, business, and nonprofit organizations designed to reduce the incidence of economic automobile burglary and theft. This program category must provide methods to distribute equipment or technology and/or to test experimental equipment or technology designed for automobile theft and burglary deterrence. The application shall demonstrate how the financial support will assist automobile owners in preventing automobile burglary or theft and / or to establish a uniform program to prevent stolen motor vehicles from entering Mexico.

- Reduction of the Sale of Stolen Vehicles or Parts - provide financial support to law enforcement agencies (enforcement teams referred to as taskforces), local prosecutors, judicial agencies, and neighborhood, community, business, and nonprofit organizations for economic automobile theft (including parts). Applicants will develop organized methods to combat the sale of stolen vehicles and parts using vehicle identification number inspection, inspections of facilities that operate motor vehicle part and component distribution enterprises, labeling etching methods including component part labeling and contradicting other fraudulent means to sell stolen vehicles or parts.

- Educational Programs and Marketing – provide financial support to law enforcement agencies and other entities to assist automobile owners in preventing automobile burglary or theft. Develop and provide specialized training or education program(s) on automobile burglary and theft prevention, interdiction and prosecution to law enforcement, prosecutors, and other groups combatting motor vehicle theft and burglary. Provide education in automobile burglary and theft prevention to business groups and the public.

Priority Funding:

The statute provides that the “authority shall allocate grant funds primarily based on the number of motor vehicles stolen in, or the motor vehicle burglary or theft rate…(TRCS Art.4413(37)§6(k)).” Additionally, the following grant features will be given priority consideration in evaluating modified and new grant applications:

- Cooperative Priority – Applications for grant programs that place an emphasis on filling in the law enforcement coverage gap (area and personnel). Applications that increase collaboration and cooperation between multiple jurisdictions will be prioritized. This will also include grant programs that expand existing multi-jurisdictional agreements to include additional jurisdictions.

- Crime Analysts and Trend Analysis – Applications that introduce, increase, or expand the use of crime analysts or significant crime trend analysis. Crime analysts that will use data analysis and other methods to support the interdiction of criminals and to disrupt criminal economic enterprises. These positions will also monitor and track the confluence of motor vehicle crime with other major crimes such as organized crime, human trafficking, and drug distribution.

- Programs to combat pattern, organized and economic crime – Applications that introduce, increase, or expand efforts to combat pattern, organized and economic crime. A crime pattern is a group of two or more crimes that possess similar characteristics such as lack of connection between victim and offenders. Organized crime includes efforts by criminals to conspire to commit burglary of a motor vehicle and motor vehicle theft. Grant applications that include specific initiatives to target pattern, organized and economic crime will receive prioritization.

- Funding Co-location – Applications that demonstrate and provide for managed coordination and operations to improve collaboration and expand the use of resources to combat motor vehicle burglary and theft. It may include collaborative management of resources such as personnel, surveillance equipment, license plate readers, and bait vehicle deployment. Co-location includes establishing a shared physical space or effective communication methods between taskforces and jurisdictions as an effective way to increase collaboration, leverage resources, experience and specialized expertise. The guiding principle of the co-location priority is that resources (human and equipment) provided by the grant will be well managed, available across jurisdictions, and cohesive within the taskforce operations.

- Prosecutorial elements –Applications that include Specialized Motor Vehicle Crime Prosecutors to focus specifically on motor vehicle burglary and theft and economic motor vehicle theft (including organized motor vehicle crime) may receive prioritization in considering grant awards. Specialized prosecutors will be available to assist in pursuing convictions related to motor vehicle burglary and theft, economic motor vehicle theft, organized crime related to motor vehicle burglary and theft and motor vehicle crime. Funded prosecutors may develop subject matter resource material and deliver training for all prosecutors around the state.