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.

Pinellas County, Florida, will serve as the applicant and fiscal agent for this Fiscal Year 2009 Recovery Act JAG award in the amount of $3,129,032 with 13 other disparate jurisdictions within the county. The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office (PCSO) will serve as the implementing and reporting agency.

The jurisdictions have agreed to utilize the funds to preserve law enforcement and law enforcement support jobs. The funds will be used for two law enforcement projects within the county of Pinellas. In the first project, the St. Petersburg Police Department will use their total allotment of $1,303,348 of Recovery Act JAG funding for salaries and benefits for eight civilian support staff positions for a period of three years. The second project will involve the PCSO funding the salaries and benefits for 14 sheriff's deputy positions for the new countywide Prisoner Transportation Unit for a period of 18 months using the remaining jurisdictions' Recovery Act JAG allotment.

NCA/NCF