Narcotics Enforcement 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 Ceres will use Recovery Act JAG funds to increase drug arrests and deter drug-related criminal activity through a series of street-level enforcement operations. This will include utilizing an eight-member team and including the assistance of SWAT. The police department will carry out one operation every other month for two years. The team will expand the execution of narcotics search warrants and make use of informants to increase arrests for possession and possession for sale. With an active public information campaign, the police department will keep residents informed of program implementation and successes, encouraging community support and assistance. To ensure goals and objectives are met, the enforcement team will coordinate with other area law enforcement agencies whenever possible to supplement their efforts and improve program outcomes. The team will also regularly review and assess program operations and make adjustments to ensure the program's success.

NCA/CF