Pike County Sheriff, Stephen Korte is pleased to report that he has been notified that the Pike County Sheriff’s Office has been awarded a Federal reimbursement from the FY2010 State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP).

The U.S. Department of Justice announced the award of $1,664.00 to Pike County, MO, to reimburse some of the costs of incarcerating undocumented criminal aliens who have committed serious crimes in the United States. The goal of this program is to enhance public safety in communities throughout the nation.

This opportunity originates from federally mandated programs that the County is providing at local cost. As many local entities are aware, the Federal Government drives local political entities to assume more responsibility for the administration and delivery of government services. Many times these services are funded with local dollars.

However, in some cases there are federal funding opportunities available, if the proper request is made. Identifying federal funding stream opportunities and then properly applying for them are not simple or easy tasks. The interaction between federal, state, and local political entities is complex, and often unwieldy for most local political entities.

An aggressive program of researching and applying for little known federal programs to supplement the local tax burden was implemented by engaging Justice Benefits, Inc. (JBI) for assistance.

As a result of JBI’s expertise and experience, Pike County was able to maximize its dollar amount on this application. Pike County was one of only 865 (out of 3,140) eligible local entities across the U.S. that successfully applied for these dollars.  And Sheriff Korte would like to commend Office manager Bryca Ince in her efforts which resulted in this award.