FY 2009 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 Sheffield will use its Fiscal Year 2009 Recovery Act JAG award to support the Sheffield Police Department with the 'Sheffield Recovery Project.' The goal of the project is to maintain and replace equipment vital to the effectiveness and efficiency of the police department. The 'Sheffield Recovery Project' will allow for the purchase of new radar equipment. The Department has struggled to maintain working radar equipment to address citizen complaints of traffic traveling over the posted speed limits. The enforcement of speed limits should help the Sheffield Police Department in efforts to reduce traffic accidents, allowing the citizens to travel safely throughout the city of Sheffield. The grant will allow for the purchase of new radio equipment required to comply with the new FCC 'Narrow Band' rules. The new radio equipment will not only comply with the new regulations, but it will ensure that the Sheffield Police Department has reliable radio equipment to use in the daily performance of their duties. Lastly, the funds will allow for the purchase of new high visibility traffic safety vests which meet the recent regulations passed by the Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Department. These regulations require officers to use American National Standards Institute (ANSI) approved high visibility traffic vests while working along the roads.

NCA/NCF