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 Ithaca and the county of Tompkins will utilize Recovery Act JAG funds in the amount of $37,538 to support separate law enforcement initiatives aimed at increasing officer safety and crime prevention within the community. The Ithaca Police Department will serve as the fiscal agent managing the Recovery Act JAG award. Through the grant, the Ithaca Police Department will purchase a marked police cruiser and a radio for the vehicle. The addition of the cruiser will reduce the stress on the current fleet of police vehicles, thereby decreasing significant maintenance costs for the department. The Tompkins County Sheriff's Office will use funds to purchase much needed firearms and associated accessories for its Road Patrol Division. Because of the County's current fiscal crisis, securing the equipment would not have been possible without the support of the Recovery Act.

NCA/NCF