Recovery Act Crime Lab Improvement Initiative

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 disparate jurisdictions consisting of the city of Valdosta and Lowndes County will use the Fiscal Year 2009 Recovery Act JAG award to support the Crime Lab Improvement Initiative and to enhance local law enforcement. The city of Valdosta Police Department and the Lowndes County Sheriff's Office will work together to implement the project and to expand the capabilities and reach of the crime lab throughout the entire Lowndes County region. The crime lab is a joint venture between the Valdosta Police Department and Lowndes County Sheriff's Office to operate a crime lab and relieve excessive workload from the overworked regional state crime labs. The goal of the Crime Lab Improvement Initiative is to expand the processing capabilities of the new Valdosta/Lowndes County Crime Lab, a facility with plans to open in July 2009. The grant funds will be used to purchase two Leica FS C Bullet C Bullet Comparison Microscopes for forensic ballistic analysis/identification and one Gas Chromatograph/Mass Spectrometer with associated equipment for analysis and identification of materials to include but not limited to drugs, illegal narcotics, and other substances obtained as evidence and part of criminal investigations.

NCA/NCF