WAND

September 27, 2023

WASHINGTON (WAND) — Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) announced that six cities in her district will receive a combined $322,977 from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program.

Law enforcement departments in Springfield, Champaign, Belleville, Decatur, Alton and Edwardsville will each receive funding to support a range of program areas.

“Every single day, our first responders put their lives on the line to keep our communities safe. It’s critical that we make sure they have the equipment, training and technology needed to stay safe on the job,” said Congresswoman Budzinski. “I’m so glad to announce that communities in Central and Southern Illinois will be receiving more than $322,000 in federal grants to support our local law enforcement agencies.”

Funding amounts and purposes can be found below:

• $102,523 for the City of Springfield will be used to sustain and increase the number of officers to keep up with the growing department and community requests.
• $86,018 for the City of Champaign will be used to train new sergeants and lieutenants and provide employees with emotional health training.
• $58,403 for the City of Belleville will be used to upgrade outdated technology and equipment.
• $42,876 for the City of Decatur will be used to deploy more police officers in areas with high crime and gun violence rates.
• $18,697 for the City of Alton will be used to purchase safety-enhancing equipment for police vehicles.
• $14,460 for the City of Edwardsville will be used to purchase radar units for patrol vehicles to increase traffic safety enforcement.