The City of Somerville is eligible for a direct award of $20,004 through the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) FY2015 Local Solicitation from the Office of Justice Programs of the U.S. Department of Justice. The award was determined by a formula based on population and violent crime statistics. Eligibility for this grant was determined by Uniform Crime Report data that Somerville has submitted to the FBI. The grant may be used over a two-year period. One of the requirements under the grant is that the governing body of the City and the citizens be informed of the intended use of the funds. 

Funding from this grant can be used for local initiatives, technical assistance, training, personnel, equipment, supplies, information systems for criminal justice systems, and research and evaluation systems in the Police Department. Our intention is to use the Justice Assistance Grant for equipment and supplies that will improve the training and safety of our officers in the line of duty and strengthen outreach efforts to better inform the interactions our officers have with individuals affected by mental health issues.

The City of Somerville will make its applications submission available in hard-copy format at the main desk of Somerville Police Department headquarters for citizens no later than 48 hours prior to the submission date of June 30, 2016.