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.

The city of Jackson and Jackson County agreed that the city will be the fiscal agent, and the city will provide $52,696 to the county and retain the remaining $136,104 for their joint Fiscal Year 2009 Recovery Act JAG award. The Jackson Police Department is experiencing mandatory cuts to its 2009/2010 operating budget. As a result, the Chief of Police has proposed the layoff of 10 police officers to be effective July 1, 2009. The goal of this project is to fund the positions of two police officers from July 1, 2009, through June 30, 2010. The department's community policing philosophy requires that all officers continue providing the same level of professional service in the community. The retention of the two positions will aid the department in meeting this requirement and more importantly, keep two jobs in these troubled economic times. The goal of the Jackson County Sheriff's Office is to maintain and increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the services provided, as well as preserve the jobs of all sworn employees. Additional equipment is required to attain this goal, and the Sheriff plans to purchase an inmate transport van, crime scene mapping technology, electronic defibrillators, and duty weapons. The new van will not only allow for the safe transport of inmates, but it will also offer the option of transporting male and female inmates simultaneously. This has never been possible at the department and will most definitely increase the efficiency of the organization. The crime scene technology consists of computer hardware and software that will allow the continuation of professional investigations of traffic crashes and major crime scenes within the county. Electronic defibrillators will be placed in the trunks of patrol vehicles for use by deputies in life threatening emergencies and will allow them to provide immediate aid at the scene of potentially fatal incidents. The purchase of dependable firearms is mandatory in order to safely protect the community that law enforcement serves.

NCA/NCF