The Emergency Federal Law Enforcement Assistance (EFLEA) Program assists state and/or local government units in responding to extraordinary law enforcement emergencies by authorizing the U.S. Attorney General to grant funding to help alleviate the costs incurred by law enforcement agencies in responding to emergency law enforcement challenges.

Program Assistance Eligibility

Key determining factors for a law enforcement emergency that qualifies for EFLEA resources are a situation that could escalate into a law enforcement emergency of epidemic proportion and subsequently pose an imminent threat to public safety. The threat must be of sufficient magnitude to overwhelm a state or local government’s ability to respond to the threat.

If a law enforcement emergency arises, a state may apply for assistance on behalf of itself or units of local government. The submission for EFLEA resources must be in writing and submitted by the State Administering Agency (SAA) Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) contact, acting on behalf of the chief executive officer for the state. The SAA JAG contact must send the signed written request to the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Director. The BJA Director, along with the Assistant Attorney General (AAG) for the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), will approve or disapprove the request within 10 days of receipt. If the EFLEA request is approved, BJA will invite the SAA JAG contact to submit a formal application for funding through Grants.gov. The application will be processed and subsequently awarded through OJP’s JustGrants, the Department of Justice’s grants management system. BJA will provide written guidance to the JAG SAA contact on how to apply for EFLEA funds once the initial request is approved. See the EFLEA Fact Sheet for more information the application process and requirements.

Funding Opportunities

There are not currently any opportunities available through this program. See the Past Funding page for information about previous EFLEA opportunities.

Examples of Recent Funding Awarded Through EFLEA

• The Minnesota Department of Public Safety received $1 million in FY 2020 to help offset unexpected law enforcement overtime costs incurred in response to the intense civil unrest following the death of Mr. George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis.
• The Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services received $89,254 in FY 2019 to help offset costs for the law enforcement response to the mass shooting that occurred in Dayton's Oregon Entertainment District that killed 9 people and injured another 27.
• The Texas Office of the Governor’s Criminal Justice Division received $1.5 million in FY 2019 to help offset costs for the law enforcement response to the mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso that killed 22 people and injured 26.
• The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services received $500,000 in FY 2019 to reimburse costs associated with the law enforcement response to a gunman who shot and killed 12 people and injured 4 others after opening fire in a Virginia Beach public works building.