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September 21, 2009

MCCASKILL GRANT ANNOUNCEMENT: More than $77,000 in federal grants awarded to Missouri for police equipment

U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill announced today that Newton, Stone and Cape Girardeau counties and the city of Cape Girardeau have been awarded a total of $77,351 in federal grant money to purchase police equipment. The money is being awarded through the Department of Justice’s Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program (JAG), which allows states and local governments to support a broad range of activities to prevent and control crime.

According to the Department of Justice, the funds will be allocated to the Missouri recipients accordingly:
 
  • Newton County Sheriff’s Department (Newton County) - $10,560: The funds will be used to purchase a radio base station, police-specific wireless mobile devices known as PocketCops and handheld devices so investigators can securely access the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and check vehicle registrations and other databases.
 
  • Stone County Sheriff’s Office’s Special Response Team (Stone County) - $28,858: The funds will be used to purchase portable radios with headsets, night vision scopes, an infrared thermal imaging camera, body armor carriers with ceramic plates, a ballistic blanket, a weapon suppressor, radio pouches and structure entry tools.
 
  • Cape Girardeau County and Cape Girardeau City (Cape Girardeau County) - $37,933: Cape Girardeau County will use the funding to expand existing communications systems with the purchase of law enforcement equipment.  The City of Cape Girardeau will use the funding to enhance interoperability with the purchase of mobile radios for eight patrol cars
 
McCaskill believes that federal grants and loans are a positive alternative to earmarks, which in the past have frequently had too little accountability. Competitive merit and need based federal grants and low-interest government loans bring federal assistance to Missouri in an honest and fiscally responsible manner.
 

 

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