The Justice Department already has distributed more than $1.1 billion in federal anticrime aid to states and localities in the first 100 days under the stimulus law known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, says Associate Attorney General Tom Perrelli. Speaking to a law enforcement symposium on violence against women yesterday in Maryland, Perrelli said, "We are committed to restoring a robust partnership with state, local and tribal law enforcement to bring safety to America’s communities."
Perrelli said the total of $4 billion available for criminal justice under the new law will support a "wide range" of programs, including drug and gang task forces, courts and corrections activities, and treatment, prevention and victim services. The total includes $1 billion for hiring about 5,500 police officers. Perrelli noted that the Justice Department got applications from more than 7,000 law enforcement agencies for $8.3 billion in requested funds, to create or save more than 39,000 law enforcement officer jobs. "Obviously, there are going to be a lot of requests that we won’t be able to fund." Perrelli said.
