The City of Jonesboro received notice of two successful federal grant applications on Friday that will allocate upward of $85,000 for Jonesboro Police Department.
The City received $43,838 requiring no match from the annual Edward Byrne Office of Justice Assistance Grant, plus $19,922 from the Bureau of Justice Assistance for a 50-50 match to provide new bullet-proof vests to JPD officers.
“These grants come at a great time to add to our dedicated investment in officer safety and technology,” Mayor Harold Copenhaver said. “Every penny of these grants will go to making our officers and our city safer.”
Police Chief Rick Elliott said bullet-proof vests worn by JPD officers are good for five years, before an expiration date requires a vest to be replaced with a newer model.
“We rotate them so every officer gets a new one each five years,” Elliott said.
The JAG grant provides about $21,000 for technology upgrades, and more than $23,000 for shields, safety equipment and training guns.
“These are grants that are available every year, and our grants department has been successful in winning these awards,” Elliott said. “That’s good news.”
The City of Jonesboro spent more than $750,000 in technology upgrades to expand JPD’s real-time crime center. Copenhaver and City Council members also budgeted significant raises for patrol officers, making them among the highest paid in Arkansas.
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