The Patrol Division applies for and receives grants to assist our efforts of making Decatur a safer place to live and work. The procurement and maintenance of the grants are often very time consuming and complicated, but the benefit of receiving the much needed funding for equipment and manpower is well worth everyone’s efforts.
Judicial Administrative Grant (JAG)
The Patrol Division receives funding from the JAG grant which is used to reimburse overtime officers engaged in proactive enforcement and community policing in the high crime neighborhoods.
Project Safe Neighborhoods Grant
The Decatur Police Department Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) grant is used to pay for utility bills and maintenance agreements for the Neighborhood Surveillance Cameras. The U.S. Attorney assisted the Decatur Police Department in obtaining the grant and recognizes our well-developed initiative to address violent crime issues.
Illinois Department of Transportation
The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) continues to provide the Decatur Police Department with a Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) grant. The grant allows for reimbursement of six holiday campaigns to reduce motor vehicle accidents, focusing on impaired driving and seatbelt enforcement. The five holiday campaigns last for several weeks each and include; St. Patrick’s Day, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas/New Years.
The Department also applied for and received another Local Alcohol Program (LAP) grant to reimburse the Police Department the cost of one full time officer to conduct DUI enforcement. The reimbursement includes the cost of salary, pension, health benefits, and fuel. This grant began in October 2009.
Domestic Violence Grant
The Macon County State’s Attorney’s Office currently receives a Domestic Violence grant. With some of these funds, the State’s Attorney’s Office provides reimbursement for Decatur Police Officer to conduct additional follow up work on domestic battery, domestic violence and order of protection cases which occur in the City of Decatur.
