Landrieu announces Ascension, Gonzales JAG grants

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., announced that the Obama Administration has released $35.2 million in law enforcement program grants, including $210,364 for Ascension Parish and $24,759 in Gonzales.

The grant is funded by the recently enacted American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and administered by the Department of Justice under the Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant Program.

“Today, Louisiana experiences first-hand an immediate benefit of the economic recovery legislation that Congress enacted last month,” Landrieu said.

She said the economic crisis has placed significant strain on sheriff’s and police departments, including many, like Ascension Parish, that are still “struggling financially due to their exceptional work during the 2005 and 2008 hurricanes.”

Parish and municipal governments will receive about $13.9 million in JAG grants, while the other $21.4 million will the directed to the state, for expected distribution to localities by the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement, according to Landrieu.