WASHINGTON – Senator Chuck Grassley today said that the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs has awarded an $86,257 grant to Iowa Governor's Office of Drug Control Policy in Des Moines through the Projects Safe Neighborhoods Program.
"These funds will help law enforcement officials crack down in neighborhoods with high unlawful activity," Grassley said.
The Iowa Governor's Office of Drug Control Policy will use the money throughout the Southern Judicial District of Iowa to help increase police presence in problematic neighborhoods, provide additional investigative resources for gun-related activity, increase the awareness of federal firearms laws and crime scene investigation techniques, and increase resource sharing efforts to combat gun crime.
The Clinton Police Department will use overtime to conduct more thorough and timely investigations of firearms offenses, which should result in greater numbers of arrests and prosecutions, fewer weapons offenses, and more firearms seized. The Clinton Police Department will also provide gang awareness training through the Citizen Police Academy.
The Council Bluffs Police Department will continue to provide training on federal firearm laws and crime scene investigation techniques, work with the Region 4 Fusion Center to increase information sharing, and assist county attorneys in forming local firearms teams to review cases.
Des Moines will increase suppression efforts and continue building on the tracking and sharing of current gang trends and activity to help provide an organized approach to identify, track and deter unwanted criminal behavior that negatively impacts the community and surrounding areas.
The Project Safe Neighborhoods program helps reduce gun crime by linking existing local programs together and providing them with necessary tools.