Justice Department Awards Nearly $300 Million to Four Cities to Fight Violent Crime

The Justice Department announced on Friday, October 30, that four jurisdictions will receive nearly $300 million in federal funding through its Model Cities Initiative, a program built to cut violent crime and strengthen public safety. The four are Jacksonville, Florida; East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana; Jackson, Mississippi; and St. Louis, Missouri. The department said the winning applications stood out for innovative local plans, and it will now work with each city to finalize its plan.

"The Model Cities Initiative reflects the Trump Administration's commitment to reducing crime across the country and ensuring the safety of every American," Attorney General Todd Blanche said in the department's announcement. "These cities are setting an example of proactive law enforcement that will strengthen the rule of law and improve public safety in their jurisdictions." Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr. said nonfatal violent crime fell 25 percent from 2024 to 2025, and he described the initiative as a chance to build on that progress.

What the money can pay for

The funding can support hiring sworn and non-sworn law enforcement officers and other staff who support enforcement and prosecution, adopting new technology, buying or leasing equipment, and expanding forensic capacity. It can also pay for services that address mental health and substance use and for programs meant to reduce repeat offending. The funded departments are the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, East Baton Rouge Parish, the City of Jackson and the St. Louis Police Department. Blanche will visit all four jurisdictions in November to present the awards and meet local officials, law enforcement leaders and community partners.

Jackson plans a forensic and intelligence center

Jackson leaders said the city share will go toward a Jackson Public Safety Forensic, Intelligence and Justice Center, described as a modern forensic laboratory able to run rapid DNA, ballistic and trace evidence testing so the Jackson Police Department relies less on the state crime lab, the Clarion Ledger reported. The plan also links the city's Real-Time Command Center, gunshot detection arrays and ballistic imaging into one network, and it sets aside money to recruit and keep officers and to fund behavioral health crisis response, victim advocacy and reentry programs. The Clarion Ledger reported that Jackson will receive $100 million over three years, citing Mississippi leaders. The Justice Department release did not state an amount for any single city.

"Reducing violent crime requires a unified effort across every sector of our city," Jackson Mayor John Horhn said. Police Chief RaShall Brackney said the department must address the conditions that allow crime to exist while strengthening prevention, intervention and accountability. Mississippi's congressional delegation, Senators Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith and Representatives Bennie Thompson, Trent Kelly, Michael Guest and Mike Ezell, welcomed the award.

Jacksonville and Baton Rouge point to falling homicide counts

In Jacksonville, Sheriff T.K. Waters called the selection a tremendous honor and a generational investment. The Florida Times-Union reported 74 homicides in Jacksonville this year, compared with 95 at the same point last year. In East Baton Rouge, the parish coroner's office has reported 86 homicides as of October 26, and Senator Bill Cassidy said the award would bring tens of millions of dollars to the parish, Louisiana First News reported.

The department launched the initiative in June 2026, pointing to early results in Memphis, Tennessee, and Washington, D.C. It said the four cities will test whether joining police, local government and community partners in one plan can produce results other cities can copy.