Congressman Dennis Cardoza
18th Congressional District of California

MERCED, CA – Congressman Cardoza has announced more than $37 million to help fight criminal activity in the Central Valley.
 
Included is nearly $17 million to retain and hire police officers, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus package. The funds come from the Department of Justice COPS Hiring Recovery Program.

Additionally, $14 million has been restored to drug-fighting efforts in California and the Central Valley and $100,000 has been secured for gang suppression and intervention efforts in Merced County.

“It is absolutely imperative that we do all we can to fight crime in the Central Valley,” said Congressman Cardoza. “This funding is a significant means to do just that and I am pleased to announce it.”

Under the COPS Hiring Recovery Program, allocations are as follows:

• City of Atwater – $505,876
• City of Gustine – $249,633
• City of Los Banos – $654,806
• City of Merced – $1,501,880
• City of Modesto – $4,474,782
• City of Newman – $283,164
• San Joaquin County – $5,118,326
• Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department – $2,501,480
• City of Stockton – $7,932,160

The grants go directly to law enforcement agencies to hire or rehire career law enforcement officers.

Congressman Cardoza recently secured $100,000 for Merced County gang suppression and intervention efforts in the House-passed Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations bill. The funds will be used for the California Department of Justice operation of its gang eradication program, known as Gang Suppression Enforcement Teams (GSET) in Merced County. GSET is an innovative program created in 2006 by the California Department of Justice to provide technical expertise, leadership, and additional resources to help local law enforcement officials identify, investigate, and deter gang violence.

Additionally, Congressman Cardoza announced that $14 million in High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program funding has been reinstated after it was slated for to be cut in 2010.  Of the $14 million, $2.4 million goes to the Central Valley to help address marijuana and methamphetamine production. The cut would have significantly undermined the Central Valley’s fight against marijuana and methamphetamine production at a time when drug production is increasing throughout the region.