SEATTLE, WA – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) was joined by local law enforcement officials to discuss how Washington state can benefit from $36.7 million in funding that’s now available through the Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program. As communities continue to struggle during our country’s current economic situation, this funding also means that first responders won’t be laid off and can keep their jobs to keep our communities safe. The funding was included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which Cantwell supported. King County and its municipalities alone could receive more than $4.8 million; Pierce County and the city of Tacoma are eligible for $2.1 million; and Snohomish County is eligible for more than $300,000.

 

“Last year alone, King County cut 86 positions because of budget cuts,” said Cantwell. “If nothing is done to reinvest in our law enforcement agencies, the problems in our communities will only grow. These dollars mean we can take our fight against crime up a notch. It means more training and equipment for law enforcement agencies to take a stand against gangs and drugs. With this money, we can address the root causes of the crime rate with real problem-solving tactics and police-community partnerships.”

 

Cantwell has long supported increased funding for the COPS and Byrne JAG Grant Programs. Cities and counties throughout Washington state can apply for the grants right away, and the Department of Justice has announced that as soon as those applications are received, they will start getting the money out the door within 15 days. Grants will only be directed to programs that have been carefully planned and proven to work.

 

“COPS Office grants have been the driving force behind our school safety and Police Activities League initiatives for several year,” said King County Sheriff John Rahr.  “More recently, we have received funding to help us in addressing gang activity in King County. Likewise, Byrne and JAG funds have been critical to supporting and sustaining our regional task forces and other community based initiatives such as community corrections. In these tough times, I can’t imagine a more critical investment of public funds than helping to ensure the safety of our community and especially our kids.”

 

The JAG Program allows states and local governments to support a broad range of activities to prevent and control crime and improve the criminal justice system. JAG funds can be used for state and local initiatives, technical assistance, training, personnel, equipment, supplies, contractual support, and information systems for criminal justice for any one or more of the following purpose areas: law enforcement programs; prosecution and court programs; prevention and education programs; corrections and community corrections programs; drug treatment programs; and planning, evaluation, and technology improvement programs.

 

The procedure for allocating JAG grants is based on a formula of population and violent crime statistics, in combination with a minimum allocation to ensure that each state and territory receives an appropriate share of funding. Sixty percent of the allocation is awarded directly to a state and 40 percent is set aside for units of local government.

 

The breakdown of JAG allocations can be viewed at: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/recoveryJAG/recoveryallocations.html 

 

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