Congressman Eric Sorensen and the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of Justice Programs are announcing $37,691 for the cities of Moline and Rock Island to utilize new technologies and equipment to better address crime and keep communities safe.
“Our brave law enforcement officers put their lives on the line to serve our communities, often with strained budgets and without adequate equipment and technology,” said Sorensen. “I applaud this vital federal funding coming to our region to help local departments better protect neighborhoods. I look forward to working with local officials to make sure Illinois continues to have a seat at the table when it comes to investments like these.”
“The Moline Police Department is pleased to receive grant funding from the Department of Justice through the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program. This will help us achieve much needed improvements to our Crisis Containment Unit and Mobile Field Force teams. This equipment will help us better respond and protect the citizens and guests to Moline in the event of an emergency. Without these funds we would not be able to achieve our goals that help us have a strong and healthy community,” said Moline Chief of Police, Darren Gault.
“Having a specialized police vehicle capable of traversing areas that are inaccessible or unsuitable for a regular police car will definitely improve the Rock Island Police Department's effectiveness in providing law enforcement, public safety and emergency services anywhere in the City," said Rock Island Police Chief Richard Landi. "Grant funding like this is essential in our efforts to provide the highest level of police services possible to the communities we serve.”
The funding was awarded as part of DOJ’s Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program to help prevent and address crime in Western Illinois communities.
As part of the funding, the City of Moline will purchase technologies and equipment to support its Crisis Containment Unit and Mobile Field Force to better respond to critical incidents. The City of Rock Island will also use funds to purchase a utility task vehicle to allow for greater response times, maneuverability, and versatility at special events where large crowds are present and locations that have physical barriers which restrict standard vehicular traffic.