The Motor Vehicle Theft
Prevention Act of 1994 (MVTPA) authorizes the Attorney General to develop, in
cooperation with the States, a national voluntary motor vehicle theft
prevention program. The national "Watch Your Car" program is
designed as a cooperative initiative between the States, local governments,
and the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). It
allows owners of motor vehicles to voluntarily display a decal or device on
their vehicles to alert police that their vehicle is not normally driven
between the hours of 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. Motorists may also choose to
display another decal or device to signify their vehicle is not normally
driven across or in the proximity of international land borders or ports.
TYPES OF ASSISTANCE:
Project Grants. Place Cursor Here for Definition
USES AND USE RESTRICTIONS:
Federal grant funds may be used for the printing or purchase and distribution
of decals, registration and consent forms, public information materials and
awareness campaigns, auto glass etching, training programs for law enforcement
personnel, registration campaigns, equipment such as audio/visual aids and
exhibits, administrative costs, upgrading of computer databases, additional
personnel, travel expenses, and overtime for Watch Your Car activities. No
funds shall be used for land acquisition nor may funds be used to supplant
State or local funds that would otherwise be made available for such purposes.
There is no matching requirement.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
Applicant Eligibility:
A State may apply on behalf of itself and its
respective units of local government. If a State's chief motor vehicle theft
prevention activities are currently administered by a local agency rather than a
State agency, then the local agency may apply on behalf of itself and the other
local jurisdictions. Applications are submitted by the point of contact of the
State or unit of local government, in writing, and in accordance with
established BJA application guidelines.
Beneficiary Eligibility:
Eligible beneficiaries include State
agencies, county and municipal police departments, crime prevention
organizations, and the general public.
Credentials/Documentation:
Applicants should submit the original copy
of the Standard Form 424, signed by the project point of contact to the Bureau
of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department of Justice, 810 Seventh Street, NW.,
Washington, DC 20531. Applicants should submit a complete line item budget and
accompanying detailed budget narrative that explains all costs for which Watch
Your Car funding is requested and provides sufficient information to document
how costs were derived. Finally, applicants should develop an implementation
plan to identify the steps they will take to implement the program along with a
schedule for the completion of each step.
Notice of the availability of funds under
the Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Act will be published in the Federal
Register. Additionally, all states will receive the Bureau's motor vehicle theft
prevention program announcement and application kit containing the notice of the
availability of funds and application materials. Applicants also may contact the
Department of Justice Response Center in Washington, DC, at (800) 421-6770 or
(202) 307-1480 to obtain a copy. The standard application form as furnished by
the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), in accordance with 28, CFR Part 66 (Common
Rule), must be used for this program. This program is eligible for coverage
under E.O. 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An
applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point
of contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State
requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected
the program for review.
Application Procedure:
Application guidelines and forms are available
by contacting the Department of Justice Response Center as noted above.
Award Procedure:
An award must be accepted by the applicant agency or
institution according to the special conditions of the grant.
Deadlines:
Contact the Department of Justice Response Center for
application deadlines. Both the program announcement published in the Federal
Register along with the Bureau of Justice Assistance motor vehicle theft
prevention program announcement will note the application deadline.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time:
Approximately 60 days.
Appeals:
Determined by the Director of the Bureau of Justice
Assistance.
Renewals:
Awards will be for periods of up to 24 months.
ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:
Formula and Matching Requirements:
Grants will be made for amounts up
to 100 percent of the costs of the program or projects contained in the approved
application. There is no cash match required of grant recipients.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance:
Varies, generally one fiscal
year.
POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Reports:
"Fiscal Reports" which consist of quarterly budget
expenditure reports and "Progress Reports" which consist of
semi-annual program progress reports and final financial and progress reports.
Audits:
All organizations that expend financial assistance of $300,000
or more in any fiscal year must have a single audit for that year in accordance
with OMB Circular No. A-133, as amended, unless the audit condition on the award
says otherwise. These audits are due to the cognizant Federal agency not later
than 9 months after the end of the grantee's fiscal year.
Records:
All grantees are required to establish and maintain
accounting systems and financial records in order to account for funds awarded
to them.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION:
Account Identification:
15-0404-0-1-754.
Obligations:
(Grants) FY 01 $1,797,589; FY 02 est $2,811,281; and FY
03 est $0.
As of fiscal year 2001, 16 States were implementing the program. BJA held a
conference for grantees on auto theft prevention.
REGULATIONS, GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE:
Office of Justice Programs Financial Guide.
INFORMATION CONTACTS:
Regional or Local Office:
The Department of Justice Response Center at
(800) 421-6770 or (202) 307-1480.
Headquarters Office:
Senior Advisor for Watch Your Car, Bureau of
Justice Assistance, 810 Seventh Street, NW., Department of Justice, Washington,
DC 20531. Telephone: (202) 616-3458.
Web Site Address:
www.usdoj.gov/bja.
EXAMPLES OF FUNDED PROJECTS:
During fiscal year 1998, awards were made to Alabama, Connecticut,
Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina and the Virgin Islands. During fiscal
year 1999, awards were made to Colorado, Delaware, Tennessee, and the State of
Washington. Maryland, New York, Washington, DC and Utah now also participate
in this program, based on solicitations issued in fiscal year 2000.
CRITERIA FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS:
Criteria are described in the Watch Your Car Program Announcement.
