The Berkshire District Attorney’s Office has been awarded $206,779.58 in grant funding to support community initiatives, training, and equipment. District Attorney Timothy J. Shugrue stated, “I am thrilled to receive this grant funding once again. This funding enhances community programs and strengthens law enforcement training and resources. These grants are essential in allowing my office to proactively support initiatives that build protective factors in youth and create safer communities for everyone in the Berkshires.”
Shugrue also thanked Representative Smitty Pignatelli, who served as a State Representative from 2003 to 2024. “Smitty’s dedicated advocacy for our office, and county as a whole, has played a vital role in securing grant funding for our community. These grants bring investments back to the Berkshires which at times can be overlooked.”
The grant funding will be primarily used to fund youth community programing; provide community training surrounding law enforcement topics; fund training for Berkshire District Attorney staff and the Berkshire State Police Detective Unit; and provide equipment for the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office.
Language Justice Solutions received a portion of the Safe Neighborhoods grant funding. Maria Elisa Fuller, Executive Director of Language Justice Solutions, shared, “Language Justice is the practice that allows each person the right to communicate freely and fully in the language they feel more comfortable with. As we work to move forward with this initiative, we are aware that language barriers affect those seeking services as well as those providing them. We must continue to support efforts to advance language justice practices. Not only is this a practice of social justice, but it is also crucial for public safety, due diligence, and integrity of an investigation by law enforcement and prosecution”
Roots Rising also benefitted from the Safe Neighborhoods grant. Jess Vecchia, Executive Director of Roots Rising, commented, “We are grateful to the Berkshire DA’s office for their investment in our Youth Crews. For many teens, our Youth Crews are a vital introduction to the workforce, setting them on a path toward future opportunities and success. It is more than just a job – through this program, our teens develop essential skills for becoming successful adults in an increasingly complex world.”
The Commonwealth awarded the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office $125,486.58 from the federal Project Safe Neighborhood grant. The goal of the Project Safe Neighborhood grant is to, “…Bring together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement officials, prosecutors and community leaders to identify that community’s most pressing violent crime problems and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. Through this grant funding, the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office will:
• Provide funding for community programs:
o Partner with Roots Rising to fund program spaces for at-risk youth
o Fund the second year of the Violence Prevention/Voice Projection project. The project works with at-risk youth and aims to elevate their voices. This is led by two licensed clinical social workers, Kelly Heck, LICSW, and Areil Ramirez, LCSW
o Partner with Berk12 to provide community programs aimed at strengthening knowledge surrounding multiple law enforcement related topics
• Purchase Equipment for the Digital Evidence Lab housed in the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office
• Purchase safety equipment for members of the Berkshire County Law Enforcement Task Force
The Commonwealth awarded the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office $81,293.00 from the Human Trafficking Enforcement and Training Grant Program funded by the State of Massachusetts. The goal of this grant is to, “…Assist Massachusetts District Attorney Offices in strengthen human trafficking investigations and prosecutions as well as enhance local community relationships and municipal law enforcement’s capacity to work on anti-trafficking cases. This program also aims to support the expansion of victim-centered and multi-disciplinary approaches to working with survivors through trauma-informed programming and support services that promote justice, access, and empowerment.” Through this grant funding the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office will:
• Fund law enforcement overtime for investigations involving suspected human trafficking
• Training for Berkshire District Attorney Office staff, including the State Police Detective Unit. The training funded through the grant (as well as travel) includes:
o A workshop focused on the complexities of prosecuting cases involving domestic abuse and how to overcome them.
o Funding for three BDAO staff to attend the national Violence Against Women Conference held in Texas.
o Advanced funding for the State Police Detective Unit to enhance their investigative techniques in regard to digital evidence
• Funding for the completion of a language accessibility project through a partnership with Language Justice Solutions, Maria Elisa Fuller and Alex Valdivieso.