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.

The city of Plaquemine, through the police department, will utilize its Fiscal Year 2009 Recovery Act JAG award to purchase technical and basic law enforcement equipment to reduce crime in the city. The city of Plaquemine Police Department will purchase barricades for traffic and crowd control; video cameras for video taping crime scenes and interviews; digital cameras for documenting crime scenes and photographing accident scenes; traffic cones for traffic control; LED florescent traffic vests for officer safety at night; an utility trailer for transporting an ATV and traffic control equipment; an electric police unit for day-to-day patrol and crowd and traffic control during parades, festivals, and in parks; binoculars to view criminal activities from distances; night vision goggles to watch and detect criminal activities in darkness; an ATV 4 wheeler for traffic and crowd control during events and search and rescue efforts; a generator for use at crime scenes and during disasters and emergency situations; and a table and chair set and easel to use for interviewing juveniles and young children.

NCA/NCF