JSO gets $73M federal Model Cities grant for technology, drones and hiring for crime-fighting

U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche came to Jacksonville to award the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office over $73 million in federal funding today through the Model Cities Initiative.

Jacksonville is one of only four jurisdictions nationwide selected to receive a portion of nearly $300 million under the Department of Justice program.

The federal funding will be distributed to the sheriff’s office over the next three years to bolster local crime reduction efforts. Local department leadership will determine how the money is allocated to bring crime rates down and modernize agency technology.

Blanche said federal officials selected Jacksonville because of local leadership’s overall operational strategy. “It’s because of their compelling whole of government approach and vision for targeting violent crime and enhancing public safety across jurisdictional and ideological lines,” Blanche said.

Blanche said Model Cities Initiative is part of broader federal public safety efforts. “The Model Cities initiative is just one of the many steps that the Trump administration has taken, along with the Department of Justice, to restore safety, bring down violent crime and help America’s cities from the challenges that they’ve faced it over the past several years,” Blanche said.

Blanche also emphasized the financial realities facing local law enforcement agencies across the country. “There’s a practical reality of budgets that need an infusion of cash to keep up with the criminals and to keep up with technology,” Blanche said. “And that’s what the goal of this program is.”

Jacksonville Sheriff TK Waters said the agency will use the funding to expand training and equipment while creating 40 new positions.

One of the primary initial priorities for the new funding will be the department’s drone responder program. “It helps safety, helps our officers stay safe because we want them to go home safely,” Waters said.

Waters clarified that federal funds will not be used to replace revenue affected by the passage of Amendment 3. Instead, he said the grant provides needed additional support that will assist law enforcement operations without taking money from local taxpayers.

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