BATON ROUGE - The Department of Justice is offering assistance to capital city officials who've been working to reduce crime and drug trafficking. 

This assistance comes in the form of a $150,000 grant, provided through a program called the FY 19 Gulf States Regional Law Enforcement Technology Training and Technical Assistance Initiative.

The program is meant to provide the five Gulf States (Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas) with the technology and resources needed to fight crime and drug trafficking in their local areas.

Baton Rouge leaders, and officials in other areas who've been awarded grants, are encouraged to share all findings related to criminal intelligence with their local law enforcement counterparts as well as federal agencies.