Criminal Justice Planning
Mission
The Criminal Justice Planning program operates through an inter-local agreement with the Criminal Justice Division of the Office of the Governor to:
- Establish funding recommendations with consideration of local and state strategies through the Criminal Justice Advisory Committee (CJAC)
- Oversee grant processes and management
- Provide technical assistance to applicants and grantees
The current grant programs that the CJAC oversees include:
- Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Grant Program
- Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Grant Program
- Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Grant Program
- Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program
Please note that all other grant programs from the Office of the Governor, Criminal Justice Division are reviewed directly by that office and are not subject to the AACOG/CJAC requirements.
Upcoming Training: Law Enforcement Grant Writing 101. Complete event details available here.
Criminal Justice Advisory Committee (CJAC)
The CJAC meets on the second Wednesday of each month at 1:30 P.M. beginning in September and meets through May. The CJAC is on recess for the months of June, July, and August.
The CJAC will meet again on December 11, 2024 at 1:30 P.M.
Location: Alamo Area Council of Governments (AACOG) Titan Building Boardroom 2700 NE Loop 410, Suite 101 San Antonio, TX 78217 | (210) 362-5200
Criminal Justice FY2026 Grant Materials
All CJD grant applicants are required to attend the AACOG CJ Planning Grant Workshop. Per the CJAC Guidelines, a staff member from the applying agency must be in attendance for this event. Contract grant writers may attend as well, but a representative from the organization itself must also be in attendance. If you would like to receive information for future grant cycles, please contact the AACOG Criminal Justice Planner or email the Criminal Justice staff at cjusticeplanning@aacog.com.
AACOG will be utilizing the NextZen portal platform to review and score CJD grant applications required to go through the AACOG CJ Regional Process. Applicants can also expect to use this platform to complete and submit the mandatory Grant Summary Form no later than 5:00 PM on a date to be determined later this year. AACOG Staff will upload each eGrant application summary into the platform after they are received by the Office of the Governor (OOG). Please note that all applications must be submitted and also certified by the Office of the Governor (OOG) in eGrants no later than 5:00 PM on a date to be determined by the OOG.
Criminal Justice FY2025 Project Rankings
The CJAC completed grant application scoring on April 15th and 16th, 2024. After the CJAC prioritizes the grant applications and the COG’s governing body approves the priority listing, the COG submits the written priority listing to the PSO. Based upon the COG’s priority listing, the PSO will verify the eligibility, reasonableness and cost-effectiveness strategy of the proposed project, and the availability of funding, and will render final funding decisions on these grant applications. The COG will notify applicants of any changes in the funding recommendations The AACOG Public Safety Staff reviewed the scores and verified anticipated funding amounts. These were submitted and approved by the AACOG Board of Directors on April 24th 2024. Please note that the Office of the Governor (OOG) has the discretion to change these funding amounts to align with state and federal priorities. Applicants can expect to receive funding award notices from the PSO between September and October 2024. AACOG Staff strongly advises awarded grantees NOT to use any anticipated funding prior to receiving your FY2025 funding award notices.
Criminal Justice Planning Contact
Camellia Goldspink (Cami)
Criminal Justice Planner
Homeland Security Program
Mission
AACOG Homeland Security provides guidance, coordination, development and implementation of programs pertaining to first responders, homeland security and emergency preparedness. The Homeland Security Staff provide support for emergency management planning activities in the region and assist with activities related to the Regional Mutual Aid Agreement.
In coordination with the Office of the Governor, Homeland Security Grants Division (OOG - HSGD), AACOG Homeland Security oversees the Regional Emergency Preparedness Advisory Committee (REPAC). This body of local emergency management and subject matter experts assists with coordinating regional homeland security planning activities, advising the AACOG Board of Directors on such matters, and reviewing State Homeland Security Program grant applications.
The REPAC also consists of six topical subcommittees: Public Health, Hospital/EMS/Medical, Fire/HAZMAT/WMD, Law Enforcement/Fusion Center, Emergency Management, and Interoperable Communications. These groups assist SHSP applicants in providing technical reviews of their project applications, and also undertake various planning initiatives across the region.
Homeland Security Grant Information
The grant application window is now Closed. Thank you everyone for your submissions.
Please refer to the following documents for more information on the 2024 State Homeland Security Program (SHSP) grant process.
Office of the Governor SHSP Documents
State Homeland Security Program (SHSP) – This program provides funding for local and statewide agencies to address high-priority preparedness gaps across all core capabilities where a nexus to terrorism exists. Local projects are funded after consideration of priorities established through a regional review process. Projects must address capability targets and gaps identified during the Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA) process, and assessed in the Stakeholder Preparedness Review (SPR).
Please note that Texas Councils of Governments (COGs) review, rank, and recommend funding for applications in the SHSP-R and SHSP-LETPA programs. Applications for SHSP-NPA do not undergo the regional process. However, applications for all three funding streams are due (Tentative) on February 8th, 2024 at 5:00pm CST in eGrants.
Regional Emergency Preparedness Advisory Committee (REPAC)
Meetings
The Regional Emergency Preparedness Advisory Committee (REPAC) serves as the planning commission for any regional projects pertaining to emergency management, law enforcement, public safety, and homeland security in the Alamo Region. Unless noted otherwise, this group meetings every third Wednesday of the month at 2:00pm in the AACOG Board Room.
REPAC met on February 21st at 9:00AM to rank and prioritize applications for the 2024 State Homeland Security Program (SHSP) funding stream.
The AACOG Board of Directors met on March 27th at 8:00AM and approved REPAC's ranking for the 2024 State Homeland Security Program (SHSP).
Upcoming Meetings:
Date: November 20, 2024
Time: 1:30 PM
Location: Alamo Area Council of Governments (AACOG) Titan Building 2700 NE Loop 410, Suite 101 San Antonio, TX 78217 | (210) 362-5200
REPAC Subcommittees
The REPAC Subcommittees undertake various planning initiatives across the 13 counties within the AACOG region, and include the following groups:
- Emergency Management - Co-Chairs: Bryce Houlton & Michael Morlan
- Fire/HAZMAT/WMD - Co-Chairs: Patrick Lewis & Michael Goodreau
- Interoperable Communications - Co-Chairs: Robert Adelman & Jeff Wendling
- Law Enforcement/Fusion Center - Co-Chairs: Louis Lopez & John Overstreet
- Hospital/EMS/Medical - Co-Chairs: Eric Epley & Michael Rodriguez
- Public Health - Co-Chairs: Sammy Sikes & Roger Pollock
For more information about these groups and their meeting times, please reach out to the AACOG Homeland Security Staff.
Domestic Violent Extremism Project
Homeland Security Contacts
Justin Monarez
Homeland Security and Criminal Justice Coordinator
Regional Mutual Aid
The Alamo Area Council of Governments administers the Regional Mutual Aid Agreement (RMA), which allows signatories to request aid from others in the form of law enforcement, fire services, emergency medical services, and public works resources. Currently, 57 member governments and emergency service districts participate in this program. For details about the RMA, please contact Mitchell Mensinger (mmensinger@aacog.com).
Current Signatories:
Counties:
- Atascosa County
- Bandera County
- Bexar County
- Comal County
- Frio County
- Gonzales County
- Guadalupe County
- Karnes County
- Kendall County
- Kerr County
- McMullen County
- Medina County
- Wilson County
Emergency Service Districts:
- Bexar County ESD 5
- Bexar County ESD 7
- Bexar County ESD 11
- Bexar County ESD 12
- Comal County ESD 6
- Wilson County ESD 1
- Wilson County ESD 3
Municipalities:
- City of Alamo Heights
- City of Balcones Heights
- City of Boerne
- City of Castle Hills
- City of Castroville
- City of Charlotte
- City of China Grove
- City of Christine
- City of Cibolo
- City of Converse
- City of Devine
- City of Floresville
- City of Fredericksburg
- City of Garden Ridge
- City of Grey Forest
- City of Helotes
- City of Hondo
- City of Jourdanton
- City of Kerrville
- City of Leon Valley
- City of Live Oak
- City of Lytle
- City of New Braunfels
- City of Olmos Park
- City of Pleasanton
- City of Poteet
- City of Runge
- City of San Antonio
- City of Schertz
- City of Seguin
- City of Selma
- City of Shavano Park
- City of Terrell Hills
- City of Universal City
- City of Windcrest
Regional 9-1-1 Program
The 9-1-1 program works with regional 9-1-1 Addressing Coordinators, local and wireless telephone.
Service Area & Statistics
AACOG administers the 9-1-1 program for Atascosa, Bandera, Frio, Gillespie, Karnes, Kendall, McMullen, and Wilson counties based on guidelines from the Commission on State Emergency Communications.
Mission
The mission of the AACOG 9-1-1 program is to work with regional and county 9-1-1 Addressing Coordinators, local and wireless telephone companies, telecommunications service providers. This collaborative effort ensure every 9-1-1 call is routed to the correct Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), and that each call is managed correctly and successfully.
Goal
AACOG's 9-1-1 goal is to equip our PSAP's with the most up-to-date equipment and software in each of the seven counties. This process will ensure that all 9-1-1 calls are routed, answered, and located on the region's geographic information system (GIS) maps for proper handling of the emergency at hand.
Projects
Current projects include:
- Distributing training and public education materials
- Implementing an integrated network system
- Locating calls automatically through GIS and mapping
- Managing rural addressing and 9-1-1 databases
- Monitoring PSAP and databases
- Upgrading PSAP equipment
9-1-1 Emergency Call Centers
The 9-1-1 emergency call centers are equipped and administered by AACOG for seven counties in the region - Atascosa, Bandera, Frio, Gillespie, Karnes, Kendall, and Wilson counties
Contact Us
Marcela Medina
Public Safety Manager and Financial Analyst
mmedina@aacog.com
Phone: (210) 362-5250
Physical Address
12625 Wetmore
Suite 436
San Antonio, TX 78247
Directions
Mailing Address
2700 NE Loop 410
Suite 101
San Antonio, TX 78217
Phone: (210) 362-5291 Fax: (210) 824-5881
Emergency: (210) 362-5290
Hours
Monday - Friday
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
The Alamo Area Regional Law Enforcement Academy offers basic peace officer, basic correction officer, and basic telecommunications certifications for individuals seeking licensure through the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement. Please visit our website here.
