GRANTS TO EQUIP CITIES TO RESPOND TO TERRORIST ACTS
ANNOUNCED BY JUSTICE DEPARTMENT

WASHINGTON, D.C.-- The Justice Department today announced 34 grants to jurisdictions in 14 states totaling approximately $6.8 million, to enhance the capability of counties and cities across the nation to respond to acts of terrorism involving biological or chemical agents or nuclear, radiological, or explosive materials. The funds will be used to purchase specialized equipment for local emergency response agencies, including fire and emergency medical services and law enforcement personnel and hazardous materials response units, who are the first responders to terrorist acts involving weapons of mass destructions.

"Events in recent years have made it clear that we must do all we can to prepare to respond quickly to acts that put our nation's citizens in harm's way," said Attorney General Janet Reno. "By adequately equipping these first responders, we increase their chances of saving lives during the first critical moments of such an incident."

These grants are being made under the FY 1999 County and Municipal Agency Domestic Preparedness Equipment Support Program, which is administered by the Office of Justice Programs' (OJP) Office of State and Local Domestic Preparedness Support (OSLDPS).

These 34 grants are the first of 157 that will be made to the largest jurisdictions in the country. The remainder will be made early in calendar year 2000.

The grants of between $100,00 and $300,000 may be used to purchase personal protective equipment, chemical, biological, or radiological detection equipment, or communications equipment from a list of authorized equipment designated by the Justice Department.

In addition to grants being made under this program, OSLDPS is also administering a complementary state equipment program. OSLDPS will work with the FBI and its National Domestic Preparedness Office and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Centers for Disease Control to assist all 50 states to perform risk and needs assessments that will provide the framework for expenditure of state funds. Each state will receive funds to help with the risk and needs assessment and subsequent funds to purchase equipment to meet the states' needs, as well as other local needs, not met by the county and municipal equipment program.

"We are working closely with our state and local partners to maximize the effectiveness of their response to terrorist acts involving weapons of mass destruction," said OJP Assistant Attorney General Laurie Robinson. "These two equipment programs, and the needs assessment process, will help our communities be in a better position to respond to the potential of a weapons of mass destruction attack."

Last year, OSLDPS made 41 grants totaling approximately $12 million under its county and municipal equipment program. OJP also operates the Center for Domestic Preparedness in Anniston, Alabama, which trains first responders to deal with incidents involving weapons of

mass destruction. In addition, OSLDPS sponsors several other first responder training programs at several sites across the nation.

Additional information about OJP and its programs can be obtained at: https://ojp.gov

Attached is a list of FY 1999 County and Municipal Agency Domestic Preparedness Equipment Support Program.

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OJP-00-030

After Hours Page Doug Johnson at 1-888/491-4487

OFFICE OF JUSTICE PROGRAMS

COUNTY AND MUNICIPAL AGENCY DOMESTIC

PREPAREDNESS EQUIPMENT SUPPORT PROGRAM

FY 1999 GRANT RECIPIENTS

State	Grant Recipient	Local Contact	Award Amount
CO	City and County of Denver	Tim Cuthriell 303/640-2616	$100,000
FL	City of Tampa	Kern Wilson 813/274-8408	$100,000
GA	City of Atlanta	Valena Rhodes Franklin 404/853-7799	$100,000
GA	Dekalb County	Robert A. Wade 770/270-6225	$199,990
KS	City of Wichita	Doug Stimits 316/337-9041	$ 99,990
KY	Jefferson County	Francis Weber 502/574-6144	$200,000
MD	Montgomery County	Theodore Jarboe 240/777-2493	$200,000
MA	City of Boston	John F. Hasson 617/343-2067	$199,636
MA	Essex County	Joan Roche 508/820-2000	$199,008
MA	Middlesex County	Joan Roche 508/820-2000	$299,665
MA	Norfolk County	Kathleen Estridge 508/820-2000	$198,663
MA	Worcester County	Joan Roche 508/820-2000	$199,875
MI	Wayne County	Mark Sparks 734/942-5289	$300,000
NE	City of Omaha	Florian Paskevic 402/444-3938	$100,000
NJ	Union County	Richard Puschel 908/654-9800	$100,000
NJ	Camden County	Frank Filipek 856/374-6040	$100,000
State	Grant Recipient	Local Contact	Award Amount
NJ	Essex County	Julius Coltre 973/624-4796	$199,830
NJ	Passaic County	Karen Lee Barrett 973/881-4474	$100,000
NJ	Middlesex County	Richard Kozub 732/727-6626	$200,000
NY	City of Buffalo	Jack Sniderhan 716/851-5333	$100,000
NY	Erie County	Dean A. Messing 716/858-6578	$300,000
NY	Suffolk County	Joseph C. Michaels 516/853-4027	$300,000
NY	Westchester County	Louis Liberatore 914/741-4235	$300,000
OH	Hamilton County	Don Maccarone 513/851-7080	$300,000
OH	Lucas County	William Halsey 419/213-6504	$100,000
TX	Bexar County	Carl Mixon 210/335-0300	$300,000
TX	City of Corpus Christi	Juan Ortiz 361/880-3700	$100,000
TX	City of Dallas	Danny Millway 214/670-4611	$300,000
TX	City of El Paso	Ray Apodaca 915/771-1010	$200,000
TX	Harris County	M.H. Talton 713/755-7283	$300,000
TX	City of San Antonio	Joe Candelario 210/207-7060	$300,000
WA	King County	Shad Burcham 206/205-8106	$300,000
WA	Pierce County	Steven Bailey 253/798-6595	$200,000
WA	City of Seattle	A.D. Vickery 206/386-1895	$200,000
Total			$6,796,657