TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Hernando Today

Cops Qualify For Stimulus Dollars

ADVERTISEMENT

By KYLE MARTIN

Hernando Today

Published: March 8, 2009

BROOKSVILLE - Almost $300,000 in federal stimulus money is now available to Hernando County's city and county cops.

The White House released a list Friday outlining how Florida will break down its share of $135 million in law enforcement grants. Hernando County is eligible for $268,726; the city of Brooksville, $26,210.

How that money is divvied up is a decision for officials on the local level, said Kim Lowry, director of communications for the Department of Justice.

There were no quick answers Friday from either the sheriff's office or the police department on how the money would be spent.

Police Chief George Turner said this week he was waiting to see how much stimulus money was coming down the pipeline before announcing a "wish list."

But some of the tentative ticket items include funding a full-time traffic officer to the force and beefing up the detective bureau. Turner is also excited about the $1 billion set aside to hired new officers under the Community Oriented Police Services program. COPS officers perform foot or bicycle patrols in a concentrated area.

"We're pursuing that as well," Turner said.

A local governing board is already in place to decide how to split the money Hernando County receives from the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant, or JAG. Last year, grant money paid for a drug detection dog at the Brooksville Police Department and a software upgrade for computers at the sheriff's office.

In years past, it funded a video link between the courthouse and county jail.

Grant funds also paid $20,000 for the sheriff's office's drug education program called DARE in 2008-09 and paid for a $45,000 security renovation to the lobby at headquarters in Brooksville.

Local law enforcement agencies have seen a steady decline in state and federal dollars over the past eight years. From 2007 and 2008 there was a 33 percent drop in state and federal grant money.

The stimulus money is poised to reverse that trend and will be a supplement to the regular allocation of JAG grant money. Last year, Congress slashed JAG funding by 67 percent, but is expected to fully fund it again in this coming budget year.

All told, Florida is expected to receive about $13.1 billion in federal stimulus money. Each state department will take its share and distribute it according to the parameters they set. For instance, the Florida Department of Transportation will oversee the distribution of funds for road building projects.

Reporter Kyle Martin can be reached at 352-544-5271 or kmartin@hernandotoday.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT