Vermont will receive $3 million in federal grants for law enforcement and criminal justice programs.
The grants, announced Thursday by Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., will fund a broad array of programs and functions for local and statewide law enforcement agencies.
One federal grant, totaling $1 million will fund a program administered through the Vermont Department of Corrections that aims to reduce recidivism rates among offenders statewide.
Another $74,000 grant will fund purchase of bulletproof vests for 23 municipal police departments across the state.
The federal grants also include:
• $950,000 to the Vermont Department of Public Safety, half of which will go to the Vermont Drug Task Force. The grants also include $150,000 to reduce backlog in the state’s processing of DNA samples;
• $394,000 to Vermont’s juvenile justice system;
• $250,000 of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grants that will support hiring a new officer in each the Rutland Town Police Department and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department;
• and, $575,000 in five Byrne-JAG awards to local and state law enforcement agencies to bolster the departments’ capabilities.
