Washington state will receive more than $8 million in “crime-fighting grants” from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Washington, sent out a press release on Monday, August 10, detailing how the two largest grants, totalling nearly $6.5 million, went to the Washington State Department of Commerce to be parceled out to cities, counties, and non-profit organizations for programs that focus on community safety.
According to the press release, the federal Byrne grants — named for a young police officer killed in the line of duty — were awarded last month to the state and ten different cities and counties in Washington.
“It can be highly competitive to get these federal funds, and I congratulate the cities and counties that developed proposals that were chosen for Byrne grants,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd. “We know that a strong partnership with state and local law enforcement is crucial to federal efforts to protect our community. I am pleased to be able to announce this DOJ support for state and local law enforcement.”
The funding will reportedly go towards a wide range of “crime fighting” efforts, including, for example: drones, emergency medical kits, school resource officers, law enforcement equipment, training and personnel.
As listed in Monday’s press release, additional grants include:
Seattle Police and surrounding jurisdictions: $842,356 for programs and equipment identified by each jurisdiction – includes overtime and improved technology systems.
Tacoma and Pierce County: $395,052 for Tacoma’s Building Resilience Against Youth Violence and Exploitation (BRAVE) program to reduce young adult violence and for Pierce County Sheriff’s Office investments in safety equipment and training.
Longview and Cowlitz County: $10,793 to support the Longview School Resource Officer Program.
Bremerton: $16,612 to maintain and develop crime prevention activities and initiatives.
Kitsap County: $46,956 to purchase equipment for digital evidence extraction and secure storage, and for the purchase of high-sensitivity cameras for use in identifying skin bruising and other forensic material.
Everett: $38,199 for technology upgrades for investigations and for establishing a North Precinct Drone for the First Responder Operations Center to expand emergency response capacity.
Snohomish County: $84,296 for implementing the Grappler Police Bumper pursuit immobilization system on patrol vehicles, and the training for using the system to bring fleeing vehicles to a safe stop.
Vancouver and Clark County: $139,355 - The two entities will evenly split the federal dollars and use the funds for technology, equipment, and supplies that enhance community safety.
Marysville: $14,226 for the purchase of tactical emergency medical equipment. The first aid kits will enhance officer safety and provide immediate lifesaving care to community members.
Bellingham: $44,163 to bring back the motorcycle traffic unit, which was closed due to COVID. The federal funds will pay for equipment and technological upgrades such as radios, printers, scanners, and other communication devices.
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