BREDESEN ANNOUNCES GRANT FOR CITY OF KINGSPORT

NASHVILLE – Governor Phil Bredesen today announced the City of Kingsport will receive a federal grant of more than $13,000 to purchase new law enforcement equipment used by the Kingsport Police Department. The funds, awarded through the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program, will upgrade purchase two in-car cameras and five radar units.

“This grant will greatly improve the ability of Kingsport Police to respond and provide protection for citizens,” Bredesen said. “These equipment upgrades will help create a safer community for both the citizen and officers by providing them with the best technology to do their jobs, and I’m pleased to this funding provided to support local officials in this effort.”

Through the Byrne Grant Program, the City of Kingsport is awarded $13,478 to equip more patrol units technology improvements, allowing officers to work more efficiently to keep the community safe. Byrne grants are awarded to states and local governments through the U.S. Department of Justice to support a broad range of activities to prevent and control crime based on their own local needs and conditions. The program provides agencies with the flexibility to prioritize and place justice funds where they need them most.

Bredesen also announced today three additional Byrne grants. The University of Memphis received $536,609 to support the University’s role “Operation Safe Community: Integrated Gang and Violent Crime Reduction Project,” a local and federal project in Memphis and Shelby County, and the City of Oak Ridge received a grant in the amount of $983,783 for police communications projects. The City of Murfreesboro also received a federal grant of $21,071 to upgrade current software systems used by the County of Rutherford and the City of Murfreesboro.

Thanks to Byrne funding in 2007, Tennessee was able to provide correctional programming to approximately 800 offenders in a variety of projects, with resulting recidivism rates well below the national average in all projects. Additionally, victim and witness coordinators in 13 judicial districts provided victim assistance in filing warrants, learning how the criminal justice system works, and obtaining restitution.