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 Palm Desert will use their Recovery Act JAG award for officer overtime, law enforcement equipment, and child safety equipment. Specifically, the JAG funds will be used for police officer overtime for the Theft Suppression Program and the Vice Crime Suppression Program, the purchase of an Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) system, bicycle helmets, and child safety seats. The Theft Suppression Program will be aimed at conducting high visibility patrol and conducting public contacts and bait programs to combat theft and associated crimes. The Vice Crime Suppression Program will be aimed at conducting surveillance and undercover operations targeting massage establishments believed to be conducting illegal prostitution activities. The ALPR system will allow officers to rapidly scan vehicle plates associated with auto theft, felony warrants, parking violations, along with a multitude of other crimes, while performing normal police patrol. Bicycle helmets and child safety seats will be purchased and distributed to the residents of Palm Desert in order to increase the awareness of child safety, improve police community relations, and increase the probability of saving lives.

NCA/NCF