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 Gardner will utilize their Fiscal Year 2009 Recovery Act JAG in the amount of $61,696 to help improve the efficiency of the Gardner Police Department. Funds will be used to purchase ten desktop computers with a server and related equipment, a new IKON color copier, two digital cameras with docking stations, a new telephone system that utilizes Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP), and a computerized monitoring and cell tour system. The current system check is over twenty years-old and is a paper system. With this grant, the department will be able monitor six cell check points and cover twenty-five officers. These purchases will assist the Gardner Police Department in streamlining their day to day operations and assuring officer, inmate, and community safety.

NCA/NCF