September 16th, 2022 by WCBC Radio

The Maryland Department of Emergency Management (MDEM) has received a Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention (TVTP) grant of $693,000 to help community partners build capacity to keep Marylanders safe. The grant will cover activities from Oct. 1, 2022 to Sept. 30, 2024.

“The TVTP grant provides the funding that will improve our understanding of targeted violence aimed at public spaces where Marylanders gather every day. It will also fund the risk assessment tools needed to develop strategies that will improve the security and protection of these gathering sites,” said MDEM Secretary Russ Strickland. “This grant will allow us to work with other State and local agencies, academic partners, and the private and nonprofit sectors to give communities the tools to help prevent and protect against these attacks.”

The grant funds will be used to help determine best practices and identify locally based strategies to address radicalization and targeted violence and extremism. They will also fund strengthening threat assessment and management capabilities of local jurisdictions by developing a threat assessment framework to enhance existing capabilities or establish them where they don’t exist.

The TVTP Grant Program is administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and provides funding for State, local, tribal, and territorial governments, nonprofits, and institutions of higher education with funds to establish or enhance capabilities to prevent targeted violence and terrorism. Developing local prevention capabilities is a key element of Goal 3 of the Strategic Framework to Counter Terrorism and Targeted Violence. 

The TVTP Grant Program provides assistance to implement that goal and develops innovative solutions to prevent targeted violence and terrorism. DHS has more information about the TVTP Grant Program at www.dhs.gov/tvtpgrants.