Zuni Tribal Amber Alert Child Abduction Notification Equipment Acquisition 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 Zuni Tribe will use its Fiscal Year 2009 Recovery Act JAG award to acquire a piece of equipment needed to complete the Zuni Tribal Amber Alert system. The Zuni Tribe was selected by the Department of Justice to participate in a pilot project to address the lack of Amber Alert capabilities within Indian Country. As a participant in this project, the Zuni Tribe has worked closely with the National Center for Missing and Abducted Children to develop the Amber Alert system on the Reservation by using funding from the Amber Alert in Indian Country grant to acquire training and equipment. However, one important piece of equipment that the Tribe was not able to fund was an electronic LED sign which would enable the Zuni Police Department to quickly notify the community of an Amber Alert during the critical first hours of a child abduction. The use of this type of electronic sign, in conjunction with neighborhood canvassing, printing, and posting flyers and radio announcements, would assist the Tribe with efforts to provide the Tribal community with an Amber Alert system comparable to those of non-Native communities nationwide. In addition to use during an Amber Alert, it can also assist law enforcement at DWI checkpoints and other police functions.

NCA/NCF