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 Mount Airy will use its Recovery Act JAG award in the amount of $34,217 to purchase tasers and to pay for narcotics investigative officers overtime. The city wants to have officers equipped with tasers and trained in their use to reduce the number of injuries to officers and the individuals who threaten injury to themselves or others. Performance and benefits will be measured by reduction in officer injuries, reduction in second party injuries, reduction of liability, loss of time from work due to injury, and reduction of confrontational encounters. This funding will be used to procure goods and services that will create and preserve jobs and/or promote economic recovery.

Funds will also be used for overtime costs for narcotics officers in an effort to make areas of the city less desirable for narcotics traffickers to do business. Reducing street and mid-level trafficking positively affects the crime rate and reduces violent crime, thereby improving the quality of life in the community. Performance and benefits will be measured by the quantity of drug arrests, drug seizures, and calls for service related to drug activity. Coordination will involve divisions within the police department as well as the sheriff's department; other adjoining counties sheriff's departments; Drug Enforcement Administration; Alcohol, Tobacco, Explosives, and Firearms; and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

NCA/NCF