Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced a federal grant worth $351,198 for the City of Buffalo from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program to assist local law enforcement in their efforts to reduce crime and improve the criminal justice system.
In April, Senator Gillibrand helped lead the effort in the Senate to protect funding for the Byrne JAG program to equip local communities with the resources they need to keep families safe.
“This is an important investment to help keep Buffalo families safe,” Senator Gillibrand said. “As law enforcement agencies across the state are facing budget cuts during these tough economic times, the funding from this program helps create and implement innovative ways to fight and prevent crime, keeping our communities safe. This program is a cornerstone in crime-fighting initiatives in our criminal justice system.”
Funds will be used for overtime for selective enforcement, tactical and quality of life patrols to increase public safety, and purchase of equipment. Specifically, the strategies will focus on crime reduction by: (1) Dedicating officers to tactical/selective patrols, which provides a highly visible police presence for targeting violent crime and disorder; (2) Increasing police officer and community safety by procuring state of the art equipment; and (3) Sustaining initiatives that foster partnerships between the police and the community.
The Byrne JAG program is a partnership among federal, state, and local governments that tailors federal law enforcement grants to the needs of different communities. Grant funding supports a broad range of activities to prevent and control crime and improve the criminal justice system that include: law enforcement programs; prosecution and court programs; prevention and education programs; corrections and community corrections programs; drug treatment programs; and planning, evaluation, and technology improvement programs; and crime victim witness programs. From October 2008 through September 2011 states that received Byrne JAG Grants:
- Disrupted over 5,000 drug trafficking organizations
- Arrested 7,739 gang members on felony charges
- And from July 2010 to July 2011 seized 2.3 million pounds of drugs