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 www.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 Longview, through the Longview Police Department, is serving as the lead applicant for the disparate jurisdictions of the city of Longview, Cowlitz County, city of Kelso, and the City of Woodland. The disparate jurisdictions plan to use their Fiscal Year 2009 Recovery Act JAG award to improve their law enforcement technology. The title of their project is the Longview Police Technology Project. The goal of the project is to implement technology that will make officers more efficient in the field for crime reduction efforts. The strategies for this project will involve acquiring equipment, using existing staff for installation, and implementing the technology. Officers will then begin using the various technology as they carry out their daily duties. The Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office will use their funds for a law enforcement program to fund a portion of a sheriff's deputy position to work patrol. The title of their project is the Patrol Officer Position Project. The goal of the project is to effectively deploy staff to assist with the reduction of crime in Cowlitz County. The Kelso Police Department will use their funds for law enforcement programs to include a re-write of their policy manual and implementation oto purchase new department weapons for officers. The title of their project is the Law Enforcement Policy and Weapon Improvements Project. The goal of this project is to ensure that the Kelso Police Department is up-to-date on its policies, increased oversight, and maintenance of the weapons which the officers carry. The Woodland Police Department will use their funds for a technology program to rebuild their police network. The title of their program is Woodland Police Technology Project. The goal of this project is to ensure police data is private from the rest of the city network.

NCA/NCF