Tifton/Tift County Training, Patrol, and Communications Improvement Project

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.

Tift County and the city of Tifton will share the Recovery Act JAG award. The Tift County Board of Commissioners will serve as the fiscal agent managing the Recovery Act JAG award. The funds will be used to purchase equipment that will improve day to day patrol activities. The Tifton Police Department will send officers to training classes and purchase training equipment to better prepare police officers for patrol duties. The Tifton Police Department will also fund police officer overtime to patrol high crime and heavy drug areas. The Tift County Sheriff's Office will purchase a generator to support Emergency 911 calls and provide a radio back-up system to maintain uninterrupted law enforcement services to the public in the event the main radio system fails. The funds will improve the criminal justice systems of the Tift County Sheriff's Office and the Tifton Police Department.

NCA/NCF