News
Summer Urban Crime Prevention Grant Program announced
By Governor Rell's office
Jun 26, 2008 - 11:52:34 AM

Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced a $500,000 Summer Urban Crime and Community Safety Grant Program to help reduce violence in the state’s largest cities, especially among young people.

“Sadly, rising temperatures too often bring rising tensions,” Governor Rell said. “What should be an enjoyable period for families and friends – a time of relaxation and outdoor fun – becomes instead a time of fear and worry. These grants, funded largely by the federal government, are intended to give our cities the resources to rectify that situation.

“We are focusing these grants on the urban areas of our state,” the Governor said. “Local governments will have the flexibility to prioritize the funds based on local needs. We will require that at least a third of the money be used on prevention and intervention programs such as summer job and youth recreation programs. The rest can be used on law enforcement overtime, efforts to get guns off the streets, community re-entry programs for former prison inmates or other initiatives.

“Our goal is not simply to improve the quality of life for the people directly involved in summer job or recreational programs, but for all the residents of the community,” Governor Rell said. “The residents of our cities want nothing more than to live their lives in peace and enjoy their summers. We intend to help them do just that.”

Under the program guidelines, grant funds can be used for the following purposes, among others:

Prevention and Intervention

* Activities to enhance community safety and improve the quality of life

* Support promising strategies to prevent crime

* Develop and distribute crime prevention materials to the community

* Build partnerships among law enforcement and community-based organizations

* Expand or enhance youth services; including alternative recreation programs, academic enrichment, mentoring, substance abuse services; life skills development and job training

Law Enforcement

* Technical assistance, training, personnel, equipment, supplies and contractual support

* Build local capacity to prevent and investigate crime

* Traffic enforcement

* Improved gang investigations

* Multi-jurisdictional drug task force

Community Corrections and Offender Community Re-Entry

* Improve or enhance programs that supervise and monitor offenders in the community

* Expand or improve offender community reentry initiatives

* Training and technical assistance for mental health needs

* Increased collaboration between law enforcement and correctional system personnel

Grant funds cannot be used directly or indirectly for security enhancements or equipment to nongovernmental entities not engaged in criminal justice or public safety.

The money also cannot be used for out-of-state travel, regular overtime, construction, renovation, vehicles, lethal weapons or bulletproof vests. Overtime must be for a new specialized law enforcement activity or an activity that expands or enhances an existing activity, unit or operation.

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