Journeys Academy School Resource Deputy 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 Seminole County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) plans to utilize the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant funds to hire a school resource deputy (SRD) to be assigned to the Seminole County Public Schools' (SCPS) District Alternative School. This alternative educational site will be brought back under the SCPS umbrellas in August 2009 as the Journeys Academy. Students at the alternative school are those who generally have a history of discipline problems often escalating over time and are at risk of not succeeding academically.

The SCSO would like to continue its long standing cooperative effort with the school board of assigning SRDs where warranted to schools within Seminole County, in this instance the district's alternative school. The School Resource Deputy Program is an integral part of the Seminole County Sheriff's Office's community policing philosophy, and is proving to be a successful part of its continuing operations. The recovery funds are necessary in order for SCSO to accomplish this goal.

The SRD Program is designed to put a uniformed deputy in the school setting to provide students, faculty, and staff the opportunity to meet and interact with a deputy in a non-confrontational setting. The program provides opportunities for the deputy to serve as a role model, resource, mentor, and advisor to students. The SRD will serve as a deterrent to crime in the school building, on the school campus, and in the community surrounding the school not only through the uniformed presence, but also by developing positive relationships with students, faculty, staff, and community members. The SRD will provide classroom instruction and other information concerning laws, personal rights and responsibilities, and other law-enforcement related topics.

NCA/NCF