Project Shockwave

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 comprised of Guernsey County and the city of Cambridge will use their Recovery Act JAG funds to purchase tasers for the sheriff's deputies and to pay overtime for the Cambridge police officers. Guernsey County has recently seen an increase in both crime and encounters requiring use of force by officers. The purchase of less-than-lethal tasers has been a priority of the sheriff's department, in that it provides officers with an effective means of subduing suspects. The sheriff's department will equip patrol deputies with 10 tasers in phase one of their project. The Cambridge Police Department will use $42,268 to pay overtime for 24 employees involved in training, court appearances, and community events, such as parades.

NCA/NCF