Manchester to Receive Federal Grant to Help Promote Anti-Violence Efforts

As one of the 22 municipalities in the state of Connecticut with the highest rate of violent crime, Manchester will receive a $40,000 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Justice aimed at preventing and reducing those statistics. 

The funding was announced Thursday by the office of Governor Dannel P. Malloy, which said in a statement that the grants were intended to help coordinate responses by local police departments to incidents that occur across multiple jurisdictions.

Manchester was one of 22 communities with the highest rate of reported violent crime from 2007 to 2009 to receive the funding, which ranged between $40,000 and $45,000 for each community. Those 22 communities accounted for 82 percent of Connecticut's total violent reported violent crime during that period and 75 percent of the state's prison population, according to Malloy's office. 

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“While crime is at record lows in our state, these grants will help us bolster local police department efforts to engage in a coordinated and collaborative response to criminal activity that frequently crosses city and town borders,” Malloy said in a statement. “Funding will be used to help sustain law enforcement and public safety services, particularly during the summer months when these critical public safety initiatives are needed most.”

Malloy's office said the money could be used for crime prevention, community education, youth crime intervention, law enforcement patrol, surveillance, investigation and apprehension, technical assistance, training, personnel, equipment, contractual support, technology and information systems. The governor said the Office of Policy and Management has asked the municipalities to spend the money on anti-violence collaboration programs similar to ones that have already been implemented in New Haven and Hartford. These programs merge the efforts of federal, state and local agencies, as well as the court systems and mental health and substance abuse professionals, according to Malloy's office. 

The towns receiving the grant money are as follows:

Bridgeport - $45,000
Bristol - $42,000
Danbury - $40,000
East Hartford - $42,000
Hamden - $40,000
Hartford - $45,000
Manchester - $40,000
Meriden - $42,000
Middletown - $40,000
Milford - $40,000
New Britain - $42,000
New Haven - $45,000
New London - $42,000
Norwalk - $42,000
Norwich - $42,000
Stamford - $42,000
Stratford - $40,000
Torrington - $40,000
Waterbury - $42,000
West Hartford - $40,000
West Haven - $42,000
Willimantic - $40,000