The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that four jurisdictions will receive a combined $300 million in federal funding over the next three years to fight violent crime.
St. Louis, Missouri; Jackson, Mississippi; Jacksonville, Florida; and East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, will receive the funding through the Model Cities Initiative (MCI). The four were selected from nearly 60 applications.
The goal of the money is to improve coordination and cooperation between federal, state, and local law enforcement, and to drive innovative and comprehensive crime fighting strategies at the local level.
The DOJ says the applications submitted by the four selected jurisdictions "exemplified the innovative, forward-thinking approaches the Department sought through the initiative” and noted that despite different approaches, all four jurisdictions “demonstrated a shared determination to reduce violent crime and make their communities safer.”
The grant money can be used for a variety of needs including hiring officers and other personnel, technology improvements, enhancing forensic capabilities, and addressing mental health and substance abuse issues.
Attorney General Todd Blanche has been visiting the selected jurisdictions.
Breaking down the numbers further:
St. Louis, Missouri, will receive more than $68 million with the money directed to the St. Louis Police Department.
Jackson, Mississippi, will receive more than $63 million.
Jacksonville, Florida, will receive more than $73 million directed through the City of Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
And East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, will receive more than $63 million.
Among those on hand for the grant ceremony in St. Louis was Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) Director Robert Cekada.
“This will lay the foundation for the development of a real-time crime center, which will link up with ATF’s center…to help identify the people responsible for committing the most violent crimes in this city,” said Director Cekada, at a press conference in downtown St. Louis announcing the funding.
And at the event announcing the grant money in Jackson, Mississippi, Attorney General Blanche touted cooperation.
“We selected Jackson because of your leadership’s pitch to do a whole-of-government approach to reducing violent crime,” said Attorney General Blanche.
