Pontiac, Southfield, and Oakland County JAG Program

The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program (JAG) allows states, tribes, and local governments to support a broad range of activities to prevent and control crime based on their own local needs and conditions. Grant 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: 1) law enforcement programs; 2) prosecution and court programs; 3) prevention and education programs; 4) corrections and community corrections programs; 5) drug treatment programs; 6) planning, evaluation, and technology improvement programs; and 7) crime victim and witness programs (other than compensation).

The disparate jurisdictions of the County of Oakland, the City of Pontiac, and the City of Southfield will utilize their Fiscal Year 2008 Justice Assistance Grant award in the amount of $98,869 for law enforcement purposes. The County of Oakland will serve as the fiscal agent and will distribute $44,058 of JAG funds to the City of Pontiac and $36,988 to the City of Southfield. The City of Pontiac will use funding to upgrade its dispatch center and to purchase tasers. The upgrades to the dispatch center will assist personnel with providing quality service to citizens, police officers, and fire personnel. The tasers will provide officers with an additional safety tool. The City of Southfield will upgrade the police records management system and the employee and visitor identification system. The records management system will provide additional file space, and the identification system will include security features to prevent the fraudulent use of employee identification badges. The County of Oakland will use funds for equipment needed by prosecutors for courtroom presentations, upgrades to equipment in the circuit court, equipment for training community corrections staff, testing offenders for alcohol use, and a digital recording system for the jail.

NCA/NCF