Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2009, $479,113)
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 of St. Lucie County and Fort Pierce City will use their Recovery Act JAG award to assist both the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office and the Fort Pierce Police Department in the prevention and control of crime in St. Lucie County. The grant funds will be equally spilt between both law enforcement agencies. The grant will enable both the Fort Pierce Police Department and the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office to purchase law enforcement equipment and supplies. St. Lucie County, serving as the fiscal agent, will use its portion of the award to contract with a service provider to provide the sheriff's office with critical infrastructure security enhancements, upgrade the multi-agency firearms shooting range and training facility, provide training for the training unit supervisor, and purchase first responder PK4 cartridge mask filters and law enforcement-related equipment and supplies. The Fort Pierce Police Department will use its share of the funds to enhance its road patrol traffic enforcement capabilities with the purchase of an automatic vehicle locator system, upgrade 10 patrol cars with in-car video systems and capabilities, computer hardware/software, and other law enforcement equipment and supplies.
NCA/NCF