Operation Nightlight and Neighborhood Stabilization Policing

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 disparate jurisdictions consisting of Mercer County and the cities of Sharon and Hermitage will use their 2009 JAG Recovery funds to support two distinct programs, Operation Nightlight in the cities of Sharon and Hermitage and Neighborhood Stabilization Policing in the city of Sharon.

Through the unique partnership between the Sharon and Hermitage Police Departments, the Juvenile Probation Department, and the Mercer County District Attorney's Office, Operation Nightlight provides concentrated law enforcement intervention services by coordinating efforts to ensure a cohesive approach to respond effectively to criminal activity. The program imposes accountability sanctions on offenders and promotes public safety while increasing the range of supervision to delinquent children and their families.

Mercer County, serving as the fiscal agent, will use their share of the funds to support the preservation of jobs for juvenile probation officers participating in Operation Nightlight in the city of Sharon and surrounding cities.

The city of Hermitage will use their share of the funds to support the preservation of a police officer and a Mercer County juvenile probation officer.

The city of Sharon will use their share of the funds to support the preservation of police officers and a Mercer County juvenile probation officer participating in Operation Nightlight and to preserve the jobs of police officers assigned to the Neighborhood Stabilization Policing initiative.

NCA/NCF