Throughout July public safety grants were given to police and service departments across Maryland from the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention. The grants, varying in totals and causes, were given to restorative justice programs, the Domestic Violence Unit Program to help victims and law enforcement agencies in every region of the state. The approximately $1,038, 533 in awards were distributed to agencies that respond to the causes on July 5, 11, and 12. Grant funding became available on July 1, the beginning of Maryland’s fiscal year.
“Our brave men and women in uniform go to work every single day facing unknown and often deadly challenges,” said Maryland Governor Larry Hogan in a statement. “Making sure they have the resources needed to get the job done and then get home safely to their families each night is the least we can do for those who do so much for all of us.”
As part of the grants, 15 police departments in Maryland received funding, including approximately $1,400 for the Laurel Police Department and $1,200 for the District Heights Police Department for life-saving body armor. The Baltimore Police Department received $14,040. Approximately $189,533 was given to the Domestic Violence Unit Program. More than $800,000 dollars was awarded to diversion programs for low-level juvenile offenders that would provide individualized treatment along with restoring justice programs.
“Diverting low-level juvenile offenders to supervision programs in their communities helps them avoid deeper involvement in the juvenile justice system and increases their opportunities for success by providing access to support from their schools, families, and community resources,” said Glenn Fueston, executive director of the office.
Prince Georges County’s Key Bridge Foundation for Education and Research and the Center for Mediation received $26,000. The county itself received $42,000 for the “Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) Reduction Initiative” project.
The county’s domestic violence agencies did not receive any grants, so the county provided money to the agencies in its 2017 budget. According to the Prince George’s Sentinel, the county’s budget includes an additional $1.5 million for domestic violence prevention.