BY JEFF CHUDZINSKI
North Country This Week

CANTON — The St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office has been awarded a grant totaling over $1 million as part of the New York State Labor Trafficking Program.

The grant, which was accepted unanimously by county legislators during a full board meeting on Sept. 12, will be paid out over 3 years.

According to the resolution, the task force will include local law enforcement, victim serving agencies, legal service and outreach entities.

The grant funds will be administered by the Erie County Sheriff’s Office with sub awards “to local law enforcement and not-for-profit agencies to cover criminal investigations, prosecutions, outreach, legal advocacy, case management, emergency assistance, training coordination and data analysis,” officials say.

Officials hope to conduct “victim centered proactive labor trafficking investigations and prosecutions” with the funding while providing “comprehensive case management and immigration legal services to identify victims, to conduct outreach services to vulnerable communities and to develop promising practices for identifying, responding to and servicing survivors of labor trafficking.

The grant amount is $1,000,720 and will be used to cover salary, benefits and “any other necessary equipment and contractual expenses.”