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Twenty Mississippi Cities & Counties Receive DOJ Byrne Grants

September 1, 2010

Olive Branch and Southaven to receive funds;

DOJ Approves City, County Applications for Crime Prevention & Control

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Twenty grants worth more than $630,000 have been approved to help city and county law enforcement agencies in Mississippi upgrade law enforcement equipment, according to U.S. Senator Thad Cochran (R-Miss.).

The grants to Mississippi police and sheriffs' departments represent formula grant

funding provided through the DOJ Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant

(JAG www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/grant/jag.html) Program.

"Each of these grants is intended to assist law enforcement in Mississippi to fight illegal activities, promote public safety and prosecute crimes.  The Byrne grant program is designed to meet the specific needs of cities and counties," Cochran said.

The following activities will be supported with FY2010 JAG grant funding:

n  City of Vicksburg/Warren County - $52,471 to purchase one police vehicle with patrol accessories

n  City of Meridian/Lauderdale County - $47,613 for the city to purchase technology to combat drug-related crime and for the county to enhance its communications capabilities

n  City of Greenville/Washington County - $47,747 to purchase equipment to improve data-gathering and communications equipment for the city and county

n  Cities of Olive Branch and Southaven - $37,597 for Olive Branch to establish a full-time traffic enforcement unit and Southaven to purchase mobile workstations for patrol units

n  City of Laurel/Jones County - $30,421 to purchase equipment for city and county law enforcement

n  City of Grenada/Grenada County - $19,135 to purchase equipment

n  City of Starkville/Oktibbeha County - $11,885 for the city and county to purchase Tasers

n  City of Tupelo - $23,620 to purchase Tasers and related equipment

n  City of Holly Springs - $21,078 to enhance officer safety, retention and equipment

n  City of Ridgeland - $10,240 to retrofit and equip a previously-owned FEMA trailer to become a mobile command center

n  Leflore County - $31,468 to purchase video cameras for patrol units

n  Jackson County - $26,759 to purchase police radios and portable navigation systems for the aerial department

n  Marshall County - $21,676 to purchase and outfit a used patrol vehicle

n  Lowndes County - $19,808 to replace outdated equipment

n  Tunica County - $16,893 to upgrade patrol units with digital recording mobile systems

n  Lee County - $15,996 to update technology and improve data keeping

n  Lamar County - $13,529 to purchase new equipment and upgrade existing equipment

n  Rankin County - $11,810 to purchase portable radios

n  Panola County - $11,511 to purchase technology upgrades, including hand-held radios, laptop computers and website development

n  Madison County - $10,838 to purchase in-car laptops