FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? OJP
FRIDAY, JUNE 14, 2002???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 202/307-0703
ATTORNEY GENERAL
ASHCROFT ANNOUNCES MORE THAN $11 MILLION
IN TERRORISM
PREPAREDNESS GRANTS
WASHINGTON, D.C. ? Attorney General John
Ashcroft announced today that two states and two cities will receive a total of
$11,016,000 in grants to bolster domestic preparedness and security.? The Justice Department plans to announce awards
for additional sites over the next several months.?
?Courageous local police, firefighters and
EMTs were first on the scene in the horror of September 11, and many others
like them will be first on the scene of any future attack.? These grant funds demonstrate the Administration?s
commitment to equipping those on the domestic front lines ? our state and local
emergency first responders ? to respond to terrorist attacks,? said Attorney
General Ashcroft.? ?The grants are an
important part of our fight against terrorism, and representative of the
federal, state and local cooperation necessary to win that fight.??
New Mexico and Texas will receive awards
through the Office for Domestic Preparedness? State Domestic Preparedness
Equipment Program.? The funds will be
used to purchase specialized equipment for emergency response agencies,
including law enforcement personnel,
fire and emergency medical services and hazardous materials response
units, who would be the first responders to terrorist acts.
All 50 states, the territories, and the
District of Columbia will receive funds through this
program to purchase a wide array of equipment including personal
protective equipment; chemical, biological or radiological detection equipment;
chemical, biological or radiological decontamination equipment; and
communications equipment.? To qualify
for funding, states, territories, and the District of Columbia first had to
conduct a comprehensive assessment of risk, capabilities and needs related to a
potential terrorist attack, and develop a multi-year Statewide Domestic
Preparedness Strategy that guides their spending of these funds.
The Attorney General also announced today
that two cities will receive funds through the Department?s Nunn-Lugar-Domenici
(NLD) Domestic Preparedness Program, which provides the nation?s 120 largest
jurisdictions with a combination of training, exercises and equipment
acquisition support tailored to local needs.
The cities ? San Bernardino, California; and Jersey City, New Jersey ?
will use the funds to purchase specialized domestic preparedness training
equipment for law enforcement personnel, local hazardous materials personnel,
and fire services and emergency medical services personnel.
Today?s awards represent the Administration?s
continuing support of state and local emergency first responders through ODP?s
State Domestic Preparedness Equipment Program and the Nunn-Lugar-Domenici
Domestic Preparedness Program.? An
attached chart includes specific award amounts for each of the recipients.???
For more information on the Office of
Domestic Preparedness (ODP) and other OJP programs, please see OJP's Website
at:? www.ojp.usdoj.gov/.? Media calls should be directed to David Hess
in OJP?s Office of Congressional and Public Affairs at 202/307-0703.
###
Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
Office for Domestic Preparedness
Awards to Cities and States to Bolster Domestic
Preparedness and Combat Terrorism
City/State |
Awardee |
DOJ Program |
Award Amount |
San
Bernardino, California |
City
of San Bernardino |
Nunn-Lugar-Domenici
Domestic Preparedness Equipment Program for Cities |
$310,000 |
Jersey
City, New Jersey |
City
of Jersey City |
Nunn-Lugar-Domenici
Domestic Preparedness Equipment Program for Cities |
$280,000 |
New
Mexico |
New
Mexico Department of Public Safety |
State
Domestic Preparedness Equipment Program |
$1,257,000 |
Texas |
Texas
Engineering Extension Service |
State
Domestic Preparedness Equipment Program |
$9,169,000 |
TOTAL: |
|
|
$11,016,000 |