November 10, 2011 – Mayor Jim Suttle announced today that the City of Omaha has received a total of $3,829,106 for crime prevention and criminal justice programs. The awards were made through six criminal justice grants recently awarded to the city. Each grant will operate between one and three years, and provide funding for projects in 6 separate criminal justice areas.
“The City is taking full advantage of State and Federal resources targeted to keep neighborhoods safe,” said Mayor Suttle. “These are dollars that would otherwise go to other communities or states and I believe our tax dollars should be used to help us resolve problems we face in Omaha. This money will help city officials keep neighborhoods safe and give local law enforcement the tools necessary for crime prevention.”
The Six Projects:
• Project Safe Neighborhoods provides $77,079 to fund local criminal justice efforts addressing issues relating to gun and gang crimes in the city.
• The Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grant Program provides $83,141 to fund improvements in the quality and timeliness of forensic science services in the Omaha Police Department.
• A grant to “Encourage Arrest Policies and Enforcement of Protection Orders” provides $750,000 to support a coordinated, community wide response to domestic violence in order to hold offenders accountable for their actions and enhance services to victims.
• The Omaha / Douglas Juvenile Accountability Block Grant provides $118,886 to support the collaboration of juvenile services programs in Omaha, juvenile re-entry programs, juvenile risk and needs assessments, and juvenile restorative justice programs.
• The COPS Hiring Grant Program makes $2.6 million available to add 10 new police officers for three years.
• The Metro Drug Task Force, which is a collaborative effort between area law enforcement agencies, received $200,000 to combat drug trafficking, as well as the sale and use of illegal substances.
