Feds earmark $1.2 million for MI anti-drug efforts

LANSING. Several Upper Michigan communities will receive continued funding for anti-drug efforts.  Governor Rick Snyder Tuesday announced that criminal justice agencies across the state of Michigan will receive $1.2 million in federal grants to strengthen anti-drug and crime fighting efforts in Michigan. The funding is made possible through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne JAG) Program.

Byrne JAG funds support all aspects of the criminal justice system, and this year’s awards focus on technology enhancements.

“Protecting Michigan citizens is a top priority and these grants will go a long way toward improving the technology and tools that support our public safety community,” Snyder said.

Agencies receiving funding have until July 31, 2013, to spend their awards. A complete list of awarded programs, as well as grant criteria, is available at www.michigan.gov/cjgrants.

Byrne JAG grants are named in honor of New York City Police Department Officer Edward Byrne. Byrne was fatally shot by drug traffickers in 1988, while on assignment protecting a witness in a drug case.

The Upper Michigan grants are:

Houghton Police Department – City of Houghton has been awarded ARRA Byrne JAG funds in the amount of $20,969 for Technology Enhancement Projects. In an effort to be more efficient, the Houghton Police Department will install a mobile data computer in each of the three patrol cars and purchase an e–ticket system.

Marquette Police Department – City of Marquette has been awarded ARRA Byrne JAG funds in the amount of $40,015 for Technology Enhancement Projects. The Marquette Police Department will purchase new video/audio/radio microphones and equipment to properly store the digital evidence produced in daily operations, preserving it for future use in many applications.

St. Ignace Police Department – City of St. Ignace has been awarded ARRA Byrne JAG funds in the amount of $24,000 for Technology Enhancement Projects.  The St. Ignace Police Department will increase the amount of information that can be sent to patrol vehicles and surrounding agencies by upgrading the agency’s computer aided dispatch capacity. Voice–to–print recognition software will be purchased to decrease officer report writing time. New in–car video systems will enhance the department’s evidence collection and officer safety.

Gogebic County Sheriff’s Department – County of Gogebic has been awarded ARRA Byrne JAG funds in the amount of $17,800 for Technology Enhancement Projects.  The Gogebic County Sheriff’s Department will purchase 10 tablets and coordinate patrol vehicle mounting hardware for use by officers for investigative work, report writing, daily activity reports, and data collection. Networking directly with the department’s new operating software will provide access to important information in the field and input data immediately into the system.

Menominee Police Department – City of Menominee has been awarded ARRA Byrne JAG funds in the amount of $17,946 for Technology Enhancement Projects.  The Menominee Police Department, Menominee Sheriff’s Department, Menominee Central Dispatch, and Hannahville Tribal Police Department are collaborating to purchase software that will export calls for service data out of the computer–aided dispatch system and import that data into the records management and officer daily systems used by the law enforcement agencies. Technology will also be purchased so that driver licenses may be swiped in patrol cars to automatically populate the drivers’ information into the new software systems.