The city of Santa Clarita is asking the community for feedback on a federal grant proposal intended to enhance public safety.
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program, or JAG, allows states and local governments to support a variety of activities to prevent and control crime, based on local needs and conditions.
Over the past four years, Santa Clarita has been awarded the grant in amounts ranging between $21,600 and $24,600. For the 2019 fiscal year, the city is eligible to receive $24,219 in grant dollars, a decrease of nearly $430 from 2018.
“JAG funding allows the city and the Sheriff’s Department to continue successful crime prevention programs and explore new ways to further enhance public safety in Santa Clarita,” Mayor Marsha McLean said in a city news release Thursday.
JAG funds are allocated based on a calculation process that consists of multiple factors including each city’s share of the total violent crimes reported within the state, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Funds may be used for hiring, training and maintaining personnel, equipment or supplies.
Last year, the City Council accepted a total of $48,519 in grant funding for both 2017 and 2018, which was used to purchase technologically advanced equipment to enhance existing law enforcement, advance community policing efforts to help reduce crime, address quality-of-life issues, and safeguard public safety in the city of Santa Clarita, read a city agenda report.
Equipment acquired for the past two fiscal years included the purchase of three electronic ticket writers for motor deputies, fixed automated license plate readers used to alert law enforcement should a car be reported as stolen, and traffic lasers.
Proposed operations and strategies for 2019 include purchases to improve traffic safety and enforcement, evidence collection, less-than-lethal intervention tools and active shooter training, the news release added.
All public comments must be received by noon on Tuesday, Sept. 3.
For more information on the 2019 JAG program application or to comment on the proposal, contact Rebecca Widdison at 661-284-1407 or via email at [email protected].