(File Photo of the U.S. Department of Justice Logo)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Washington, D.C.) The U.S. Department of Justice announced a new initiative today that will provide nearly $300 million in federal funding to help selected cities implement crime-reduction and public safety programs.

Under the Model Cities Initiative, two to four cities will be chosen to receive funding for projects aimed at reducing crime, improving public safety and strengthening community services. Applications are due Sept. 1.

The Justice Department said the funding can be used for a variety of public safety and behavioral health programs, as well as staffing, equipment and other services intended to help communities reduce crime and improve outcomes for residents.

Cities with populations of at least 100,000 are eligible to apply.

The initiative requires a collaborative application process involving local leaders, including mayors, sheriffs, prosecutors and other officials. Applicants must submit a plan outlining how funding would be distributed across areas such as law enforcement, victim services, detention and reentry programs, and crime-prevention efforts.

Federal officials said the goal is to create models that can be replicated in communities across the country.

The MCI initiative will support a range of allowable activities. According to a release from the U.S. Department of Justice, these activities include:

• Hiring and retention of sworn and non-sworn personnel directly engaged in or supporting violent crime reduction efforts.
• Purchase or lease of equipment, tools, or technology that reduce crime and restore law and order including but not limited to real-time crime centers; forensic and DNA tools; body-worn cameras; license plate readers; artificial intelligence systems; small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and counter-UAS; ballistic identification systems; and information technology upgrades.
• Training and professional development that support intelligence-led policing, violent crime investigations, crisis response, correctional practices that strengthen reentry outcomes, and coordination with state and federal law enforcement partners.
• Facility Costs including lease, rental, or renovation expenses for space directly used in program operations, such as service delivery sites, training facilities, real-time crime centers, or intelligence analysis centers.
• Mental health and substance use services that directly support prevention, crisis response, screening and early intervention, treatment, case management, and related services addressing issues linked to public safety outcomes, including services provided in correctional facilities and in the community.
• Reentry, transitional support, and recidivism reduction programs and services designed to reduce repeat offending, support transitions from custody, and promote successful reintegration into communities, including operational costs for county jails and state prisons that support reentry preparation.
• Victim services for American victims of crime, including, emergency assistance, case management, shelter and temporary housing, medical and dental care, advocacy, transportation, childcare, legal services, and employment assistance.
• Youth crime prevention and intervention services that address risk factors for juvenile delinquency and violence, including gang intervention and suppression programs.