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Laredo, TX— U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) secured $66,830 through the Department of Justice’s Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program for the Webb County Sheriff’s Office and the Laredo Police Department. The program allows local government units to support activities to prevent and control crime.

“These federal funds will help keep our deputies at the Webb County Sheriff’s Office safe and support communications at the Laredo Police Department,” said Congressman Cuellar. “The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program provides essential resources to our local law enforcement agencies. I want to thank Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar and Laredo Police Chief Claudio Treviño Jr. for their outstanding work in Webb County and the city of Laredo. I will continue to work with them to secure more federal funding.”

The Webb County Sheriff’s Office will receive $33,400 that will go towards the purchase of GPS trackers for the safety of their officers.

“I thank the Office of US Congressman Henry Cuellar and the Department of Justice for awarding us this grant, which will be shared with the Laredo Police Department. We work very closely with Laredo Police and we are happy to share these funds with them. These $33,400 that the Sheriff’s Office will receive will go a long way in allowing us to purchase GPS trackers for the safety of our officers,” said Sheriff Martin Cuellar. “These GPS trackers will allow us to know where the deputy is at all times, so if ever there is loss of communication with the officer, we will know where he or she is.”

The Laredo Police Department will receive $33,430 that will go towards the hiring of a Network Specialist that will ensure that radio and data communications remain online at all times.

“We greatly appreciate the news of the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) award which is going to help us tremendously. This grant award will partially fund a much-needed Network Specialist to assist the Laredo Police Department’s Management Information System (MIS) Section. The Network Specialist’s objective is to assure that radio and data communication remain online at all times, which allows local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to remain in constant communication with each other.  Due to the continuing economic hardship, this Network Specialist position was proposed and funded through the JAG program,” said Laredo Police Chief Claudio Treviño Jr.  “We would like to thank our Congressional leaders who we meet personally during the annual trips to the nation’s capital with the Laredo delegation to personally discuss issues and identify needs for law enforcement funding, especially during the current financial challenges our municipal government is faced with in the wake of the global pandemic. I would like to especially thank our own hometown U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar for his consistent support of the men and women of the Laredo Police Department with this grant award and many other law enforcement funding opportunities in the past.”

Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant funds can be used for state and local initiatives, technical assistance, training, personnel, equipment, supplies, contractual support, and informational systems for criminal justice.

The funds can also be utilized for one or more of the following programs:

1. Law enforcement programs.
2. Prosecution and court programs.
3. Prevention and education programs.
4. Corrections and community corrections programs.
5. Drug treatment and enforcement programs.
6. Planning, evaluation, and technology improvement programs.
7. Crime victim and witness programs (other than compensation.)
8. Mental health programs and related law enforcement and corrections programs, including behavioral programs and crisis intervention teams.

The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program provides states, tribes, and local governments with critical funding necessary to support a wide range of program areas including law enforcement, prosecution, indigent defense, courts, crime prevention and education, corrections and community corrections, drug treatment and enforcement, planning, evaluation, technology improvement, and crime victim and witness initiatives and mental health programs and related law enforcement and corrections programs, including behavioral programs and crisis intervention teams.

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