Project to Enhance Communications for City of Elberton and Elbert County

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 the city of Elberton and Elbert County will share the Recovery Act JAG award. Both jurisdictions will use the Recovery Act JAG funds to enhance their law enforcement communications systems. Radios are sometimes a deputy's only lifeline. Depending on where in the county deputies are located, their radios may not reach central dispatch. Purchasing new radios will eliminate this problem. Elbert County will purchase 5 portable radios with microphones and 10 in-car radios. The city of Elberton will purchase two in-car mobile data units with software, one radio communications base station, four vehicle mounted communication radios, and one additional radio to be utilized by the Elbert County central dispatch.

NCA/NCF