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.

Catahoula Parish, in coordination with the Catahoula Parish Law Enforcement District Narcotic Task Force (CPLEDNTF), will use its Fiscal Year 2009 Recovery Act JAG award to address drug and drug-related crime in the parish. The CPLEDNTF will expand its capacity to conduct drug crackdown and interdiction efforts through job creation, reduction of serious crimes, particularly drug-related crimes, and create an inhospitable environment for drug operations. The CPLEDNTF will also expand its ability to operate through the employment of new personnel and increased capacity. The CPLEDNTF will use a combination of targeted patrols in crime hotspots, proactive arrests of habitual offenders, intensified use of undercover agents to conduct covert operations as well as hiring a patrol officer, transferring a canine officer from the patrol unit to the narcotics unit, and hiring a narcotics officer.

NCA/NCF