US Justice Dept. Boosts Funding For Community Policing At 'Critical Time' - Statement

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th July, 2020) The US Federal government awarded nearly 30 grants to boost community policing projects thereby reviving a program that had been blocked for the past two years, the Justice Department said in a press release on Tuesday.

The announcement comes amid nationwide anti-racism demonstrations - replete with violent confrontations between law enforcement and protesters - that were sparked by a series of police-related deaths of Black men.

"These awards are being announced at a critical time for our country, when community policing strategies are very much needed to improve police and community relations," the release said.

Twenty-nine police departments will receive grants ranging from $15,090 to $100,000 to develop projects that target school safety, human trafficking, violent crime, youth engagement and other initiatives, the release said.

Funding through this program is available for the first time since 2018, following the successful removal of a nationwide injunction, the release added. The injunction resulted from a lawsuit challenging a Trump administration attempt to block grants to so-called sanctuary jurisdictions, which protect illegal aliens from deportation by federal authorities.