FY 2009 Recovery Act Justice Assistance Grant Program

This grant program is authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5) (the 'Recovery Act') and by 42 U.S.C. 3751(a). The stated purposes of the Recovery Act are: to preserve and create jobs and promote economic recovery; to assist those most impacted by the recession; to provide investments needed to increase economic efficiency by spurring technological advances in science and health; to invest in transportation, environmental protection, and other infrastructure that will provide long-term economic benefits; and to stabilize state and local government budgets, in order to minimize and avoid reductions in essential services and counterproductive state and local tax increases. The Recovery Act places great emphasis on accountability and transparency in the use of taxpayer dollars.

Among other things, it creates a new Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board and a new website ' Recovery.gov ' to provide information to the public, including access to detailed information on grants and contracts made with Recovery Act funds.

The Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program funded under the Recovery Act is the primary provider of federal criminal justice funding to state and local jurisdictions. Recovery JAG funds support all components of the criminal justice system, from multi-jurisdictional drug and gang task forces to crime prevention and domestic violence programs, courts, corrections, treatment, and justice information sharing initiatives. Recovery JAG funded projects may address crime through the provision of services directly to individuals and/or communities and by improving the effectiveness and efficiency of criminal justice systems, processes, and procedures.

Rome City and Floyd County are disparate, and will share this Fiscal Year 2009 Recovery Act JAG award in the amount of $237,406. Through a mutually agreed formula, the city of Rome will receive $132,049 and Floyd County will receive the remaining funds of $105,357. Floyd County will use their portion of the funds to purchase a Ford Expedition, gas masks, 25 American Body Armor bulletproof vests, one laptop computer for the Emergency Operations Center, six Watch Guard Digital self-contained in-car video systems, and 10 Bushmaster AR-15 rifles, and locking racks for patrol supervisors. Grant funding for the city of Rome will be used to aid and protect agency first responders when encountering threatening and emergency situations. This will be accomplished through the purchase of tasers, gas masks, canisters, assorted SWAT equipment, bulletproof vests, and ballistic helmets/face shields. Funding will also be used to purchase two fully-stocked mountain bicycles for officers patrolling the city's downtown area, parks, and river areas of Rome. Finally, the Rome Police Department will purchase an ultra-sonic handgun cleaning system for maintaining agency issued weapons and digital cameras.

NCA/NCF