Utah police plan for stimulus funds

Law enforcement agencies around Utah are already planning what to do with their slim share of stimulus funds from the federal Recovery and Reinvestment Act, funds that should be available by July 1.

Although final notification has not been sent to the agencies, most grant administrators are confident nothing will trip up the funding.

Utah's share of stimulus money for state and local law enforcement assistance isn't even 1 percent of the $2 billion the federal government plans to award. That's because allocations are being made based on a formula that weighs violent crime rates and populations against available money.

So a smaller, safer state, such as Utah, is expecting to receive $16.2 million, while a more populous state, such as California, is expecting $225.3 million. New York City is slated to get more than $29 million.

A state-by-state comparison is available online at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/recoveryJAG/recoveryallocations.html.

But free money is free money. Funds from the Recovery and Reinvestment Act are flowing to Utah through the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant and don't require matching funds from agencies requesting grants. Agencies in Utah routinely apply for funds from the grant, known as JAG.

The largest single allocation of the stimulus JAG in Utah, $9.96 million, is planned for the Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice.

Richard Ziebarth, a CCJJ program manager, said $4.5 million of that money will be allocated to save about 45 jobs in related state agencies, such as Utah Department of Corrections, Attorney General's Office, Department of Public Safety, Division of Juvenile Justice Services and Utah State Courts — jobs the state Legislature recently cut from the state budget.

Exact job titles haven't been selected yet, Ziebarth said, but departments will be asked to identify which jobs they want to retain.

The remaining funds, about $5.4 million, will likely be allocated on a competitive basis, he said.

Despite the small slice of the grant pie Utah receives, Ziebarth said it's still good news.

"This is more money than we've usually seen or more than we will likely ever see again," he said.

And if the stimulus will keep 45 people working for another year, the economy might improve enough for the state to put those jobs back into the budget.

"It won't save everybody," Ziebarth said. "Some people will be able to have 12 to 18 months of work."