Recovery Act JAG 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 Newport will use their Recovery Act JAG funds to pay overtime for police officers who will participate in a city-wide targeted enforcement program to be executed by the city police department's patrol division. The funds will be supplemental to the already existing overtime budget and will only be used for directed enforcement which will target violence, disorderly conduct, and quality of life issues. The city is an internationally known tourist destination, with unique problems associated with it. Crimes of opportunity and quality of life issues are a major concern in this environment, and the recent downturn in the economy has only exacerbated these problems. The entire city is affected by this problem, as crime and economic demise directly relate to quality of life issues. Additionally, the expected reduction in city-wide violence and improvement in quality of life concerns will undoubtedly stimulate the local economy. Through the targeted enforcement of city-wide violence and quality of life issues, the police department will aid the city in the creation of a safe, peaceful, and tourist-conducive environment.

NCA/NCF