As the city struggles with a recent surge of violent crime, Governor Dannel Malloy today announced community grants, including $45,000 for Bridgeport, for law enforcement efforts. From the governor:
(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced that 22 cities and towns will share a $915,000 federal grant that will assist cities and towns with preventing and reducing violent crime. The grant prioritizes municipal efforts for coordinated responses to incidents that occur across multiple jurisdictions.
The recipient municipalities comprise the 22 local governments with the highest volume of violent crime from 2007 through 2009 and will each receive between $40,000 to $45,000 that may be used for crime prevention, community education, youth crime intervention, law enforcement patrol, surveillance, investigation and apprehension, technical assistance, training, personnel, equipment, contractual support, technology and information systems.
“While crime is at record lows in our state, these grants will help us bolster local police department efforts to engage in a coordinated and collaborative response to criminal activity that frequently crosses city and town borders,” Governor Malloy said. “Funding will be used to help sustain law enforcement and public safety services, particularly during the summer months when these critical public safety initiatives are needed most.”
The Office of Policy and Management has asked each municipality to use this money to develop an anti-violence collaboration similar to what has been emerging in New Haven and Hartford involving federal, state and local agencies. In addition to police, these efforts have involved prosecutors, courts, probation, parole, corrections officers, clergy, community leaders, mental health and substance abuse professionals and victim advocates.
Together, the 22 municipalities account for 82% of Connecticut’s violent crime and 75% of the inmates in the Department of Corrections.
According to statistics from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform Crime Reports, crime in Connecticut is currently at its lowest point statewide since 1968, including a significant drop in the first six months of 2011 in most of Connecticut’s major cities.
The funding announced today comes from U.S. Department of Justice (USDOJ) Local Pass Through Justice Assistance Formula Grants. In addition to this funding, these same municipalities will receive direct grants from the USDOJ later this year in amounts ranging from $10,000 to $271,000.
The grant recipients are as follows:
Bridgeport – $45,000
Bristol – $42,000
Danbury – $40,000
East Hartford – $42,000
Hamden – $40,000
Hartford – $45,000
Manchester – $40,000
Meriden – $42,000
Middletown – $40,000
Milford – $40,000
New Britain – $42,000
New Haven – $45,000
New London – $42,000
Norwalk – $42,000
Norwich – $42,000
Stamford – $42,000
Stratford – $40,000
Torrington – $40,000
Waterbury – $42,000
West Hartford – $40,000
West Haven – $42,000
Willimantic – $40,000
Why is it a wide spot in the road like Torrington gets $40,000.00?
*** $45,000 can buy back a lot of guns and create well informed and equipped neighborhood watches for the remainder of the year, no? Also buy some video cameras as a start for local public gathering areas in the city like parks, schools, sports and entertainment venues, etc. … *** AWARENESS ***
“Think globally. Act locally.” Familiar words to us, but in a sense a call to the legislative representative who must represent his district while thinking as a steward about the effect of votes and actions for the larger geographic body.
In the City, too many Council members only see themselves acting on behalf of their District where success is bringing home the bacon. If you sat in on the extended deliberations of the Economic and Community Development Committee, you would probably see this in action tonight.
So it is with State legislators. Have to bring home some bacon, something to remind constituents you are alive and looking out for their welfare (of course, spending their tax money) but if it is about public safety and you time it right, you are a hero, whether anything serious is done to remediate the problem. That’s the way things work. Mojo has some common-sense applications. Time will tell.
I hope grant money is still there when the feds get done auditing Sherwood’s creative accounting. Rumor has it he’s in big trouble with the federal cops grants.
Sherwood is an arrogant b*st*rd with a Napoleon complex. He manipulates the city’s, oops, excuse me, the taxpayers’ money without any regard for fairness, honesty or existing budgets and contracts. He just does whatever he (and Finch) wants–creative accounting indeed. I hope the Feds nail him.
Bill Finch is trying to earn political points with this one (www .ctpost.com/local/article/Child-in-crossfire-at-centerpiece-of-city-s-Day-3533215.php).
“Her ‘sin’ was holding her mother’s hand in front of Bryant School,” Mayor Bill Finch said in his introductory remarks. “Something is fundamentally wrong with us as people if we don’t rise up and say ‘Enough is enough.’ We have to do a better job.”
The mayor said those who commit such crimes have about as little regard for their own lives as they have for those of their victims.
“They are full of self-loathing, and they don’t care if they live or die,” Finch said. “We need to reach them and we need to do a better job of reaching them.”
I’ll agree with Hizzoner on one point: the scumbags responsible for wounding the three-year-old girl have no respect for life and creation. But reaching out to them? Those worthless little street thugs are beyond redemption. Move along to the younger generation before they are contaminated.