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 ' 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 Perry County and the city of Hazard will use their Fiscal Year 2009 Recovery Act JAG award in the amount of $13,723 to support equipment purchases and increase intelligence and communications across the county. The city of Hazard, serving as the fiscal agent, will use the grant to purchase eight Pyramid Vehicle Repeaters. The goal of this program is to increase public and officer safety in the Perry County area. Due to the geography of Perry County, there are several 'dead spots' where communication by handheld radios is not transmittable. The department's officers assigned to the north section of the city are unable to transmit radio communications to its dispatchers. With the purchase of in-car repeaters, officers will increase safety by being able to transmit from their handheld radio back to the in-car repeater, thereby increasing communication between officer and dispatch. Perry County has opted not to receive funds from this grant award in order for the city to complete this necessary and vital project.

NCA/NCF