The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency is accepting applications for the 2026-27 Violent Incident Clearance and Technological Investigative Methods Program, known as the VICTIM Program.
This program provides local Pennsylvania law enforcement agencies with technology, equipment, training and other resources to improve clearance rates for homicides and other violent crimes.
The program also supports Pennsylvania agencies working toward compliance with the National Incident-Based Reporting System.
Approximately $3.5 million is available, including $2.5 million in state funding and $1 million from Arnold Ventures.
Application deadline and project period
Applications must be submitted through PCCD’s Egrants system by October 21, 2026.
- Project period: January 1, 2027-June 30, 2028
- Project length: 18 months
- Match requirement: None
- Anticipated approval: December 2026
Applicants must select one of two funding tracks based on their agency’s current NIBRS reporting status.
Funding tracks
| Funding track | Eligible agencies | Maximum award | Anticipated awards |
| Track 1: NIBRS Readiness Grants | Local law enforcement agencies that are not NIBRS compliant | $50,000 | Approximately 20 |
| Track 2: Implementation Grants | Local law enforcement agencies that are already NIBRS compliant | $500,000 | Approximately 5 |
Track 1: NIBRS Readiness Grants
Track 1 helps local law enforcement agencies cover the costs of becoming NIBRS compliant.
PCCD anticipates making approximately 20 awards of up to $50,000 each. Agencies that have not previously received PCCD funding for NIBRS compliance will receive more favorable consideration.
Eligible activities include:
- Purchasing or upgrading a NIBRS-compliant records management system
- Acquiring required software and hardware
- Paying installation and labor costs
- Training personnel to collect and submit NIBRS data
- Obtaining technical assistance for staff responsible for crime-data collection and reporting
The goal is to increase the number of Pennsylvania law enforcement agencies submitting detailed crime data through NIBRS to the Pennsylvania State Police and the U.S. Department of Justice.
Track 2: Implementation Grants
Track 2 supports local law enforcement agencies that are already NIBRS compliant and want to improve clearance rates for violent crimes.
Eligible offenses include:
- Homicide
- Rape
- Aggravated assault
- Robbery
- Cold cases involving eligible violent crimes
PCCD expects to award approximately five grants of up to $500,000 each.
Applicants must appear on the NIBRS-compliant agency list supplied by the Pennsylvania State Police. An agency that is not on the list may be administratively rejected if it applies under Track 2.
Confirming NIBRS status should therefore be one of the first steps in the application process.
Track 2 priority considerations
PCCD will give priority consideration to projects that demonstrate one or more of the following:
- High violent-crime rates
- Low violent-crime clearance rates
- Capacity to complete the required reporting and evaluation
- Demonstrated financial need
- Service to rural communities
Applicants should use local data to describe the problem they intend to address. Broad statements about violent crime will be less persuasive than agency-specific information showing offense volume, current clearance rates, investigative backlogs or gaps in available technology and staffing.
Eligible personnel, training and service costs
Track 2 funding may support overtime or training for existing personnel involved in violent-crime investigations, including:
- Law enforcement officers and detectives
- Crime-scene investigators
- Crime analysts
- Forensic laboratory personnel
- Firearms examiners
- Consultants and contractors
- Other personnel responsible for collecting, processing, testing or analyzing evidence
Funds may also support retention and training for existing personnel responsible for violent-crime investigations.
Consultants and vendors may assist with evidence collection, forensic testing, data analysis and other eligible project activities. Applicants should clearly connect each proposed position, service or training expense to the investigative problem and anticipated improvement in clearance rates.
Eligible technology and equipment
Implementation Grant funds may support technology and equipment used to investigate homicides, sexual assaults, aggravated assaults, robberies and eligible cold cases.
Examples include:
- Mobile ballistic crime laboratories
- Crime-scene scanners
- Cellphone extraction technology
- Digital evidence management systems
- DNA testing and laboratory equipment
- Vacuum metal deposition systems
- Firearms and straw-purchase investigation tools
- Drones and cameras
- Laptops
- Crime-trend mapping software
- Officer and investigator safety equipment
- Records management systems
Funds may also support the analysis of geographic and time-based violent-crime patterns, witness relocation or protection, and activities needed to meet the reporting requirements established under Article XVI-Z.2.
A strong equipment request should explain how the proposed technology will change the agency’s investigative process. Applicants should identify who will use it, what cases it will support, how personnel will be trained and how the agency will measure its effect on investigative outcomes.
Performance measurement is central to Track 2
Track 2 recipients must report measurable improvements in clearance rates for at least one eligible violent offense.
Applicants should establish baseline data before submitting their proposals. That may include:
- Current clearance rates by offense
- Number and age of unresolved cases
- Average time required to process evidence
- Existing forensic or digital-evidence backlogs
- Number of cases delayed by limited equipment or staffing
- Current participation in regional investigative or evidence-sharing efforts
Performance measures should match the proposed project. For example, an agency requesting cellphone extraction technology could track extraction turnaround time, the number of devices processed and the number of investigations in which extracted evidence contributed to case clearance.
An agency requesting crime-scene scanning equipment might measure the number of scenes documented, reductions in processing time and the use of digital scene evidence in investigations or prosecutions.
Bottom line
The VICTIM Program combines two immediate needs for Pennsylvania law enforcement: improving statewide crime reporting and helping agencies solve more violent crimes.
Track 1 gives agencies a path toward NIBRS compliance before the January 2028 deadline. Track 2 provides larger awards for agencies ready to use technology, equipment, training and investigative resources to improve clearance rates.
For Track 2 applicants, NIBRS compliance is a threshold requirement. After confirming eligibility, agencies should focus on a clearly defined problem, credible baseline data and performance measures that can show progress during the 18-month project.
View the 2026-27 VICTIM Program funding announcement.
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