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 disparate jurisdications of the city of Fitzgerald and the county of Ben Hill will use the Recovery Act JAG funds to purchase equipment for the Fitzgerald Police Department (FPD). The county of Ben Hill granted and approved the city of Fitzgerald and the FPD to use all of the funds. The grant funds will be used by the FPD to purchase X-26 Tasers, Taser cam audio video recording systems, Remington 870 shotguns, Master Evidence Photo Documentation kits, laser distance meters, Stream Light Stinger flashlights, overhead projector and mount for the training room, Amplivox Outdoor PA system for the firing range, Genisis II Radar, Canon XTI Rebel Digital Camera w/auto focus lense, and Garmin GPS NUVI. The goals of this project are to ensure officer safety, reduce officer injury, to improve crime scene investigations, and to improve the quality of training. This project is expected to improve job satisfaction and the retention of quality officers.

NCA/NCF