Technology Improvement Project

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 Danville is requesting funding to implement technology improvements and equipment upgrades for the police department, the courthouse, and the sheriff's office. The city of Danville is committed to providing the highest level of law enforcement and community service available to the citizens of Danville. The goals of the project are to: 1) increase technology and security needs of criminal justice entities within the city; 2) use technology to enhance the ability of the city to deter and reduce crime; and 3) provide up-to-date equipment to meet increasing technical demands for service.

The Recovery Act JAG funds will enable the city of Danville to secure cameras, radios, mobile data terminal mounts, rifles, live scan systems, and a hostage negotiation crisis phone, to update efficiency and bring the system in sync with the automated incident process. The acquisition of the equipment will improve the ability of the Danville City Sheriff's Office to provide additional security and enforcement measures for the courthouse and jail. It will also increase technology needs in the courtrooms for enhanced effectiveness. The Danville Police Department will increase its wireless communication needs, enhance security for the police officers and the community, and enhance information retrieval from the technology upgrades. The enhancements will assist the city of Danville in reaching its primary goal of reducing and deterring crime in their community.

NCA/NCF