Public safety investments will create jobs while protecting our communities and keeping Nevada’s families safe

November 5, 2009

 Washington, D.C. – Nevada Senator Harry Reid today hailed the passage of the Commerce Justice and Science Appropriations bill that will bring $7 million to Nevada.  The bill features numerous job creating public safety projects, including $1 million for upgrades to the Washoe County Sherriff’s office, Northern Nevada’s largest law enforcement agency.  The bill also includes funding to allow Southern Nevada law enforcement to upgrade their criminal database and establish a joint training facility in Boulder City.

This bill not only pumps needed dollars into law enforcement agencies across the state, which will create jobs while keeping us safe, but it also focuses on protecting our children from abuse and exploitation.  The Rape Crisis Center will use this funding to continue their work to educate children about ways to protect themselves from assault, while Project Safe House will work to treat victims of child abuse.  

Senator Reid also worked last year to add Nevada to the Pacific Salmon Recovery Fund.  Now, Nevada is eligible to compete for portions of the $80 million authorized in the Senate bill to protect and restore salmon and steelhead populations.
                                             
“The economic recovery act invested money in job creation for Sparks, Reno, and Las Vegas to hire new officers,” Reid said. “With this bill, I am working to provide the resources local law enforcement agencies need to keep Nevada’s families safe, while putting people back to work.  From tactical vehicles and training equipment to in-car video systems, Nevada’s first responders are getting the help they deserve from the federal government.”
 
A breakdown of the projects is as follows:

- Project: Heavy Duty Command Post and Patrol Safety System
Requestor: The Washoe County Sheriff's Office
Location: Reno, NV
Amount: $1,000,000
Description: As the largest law enforcement agency in Northern Nevada, the Washoe County Sheriff's office must patrol many rural areas of the state.  Unfortunately, their patrol cruisers lack standard equipment such as In-Car Video Systems or a centralized Mobile Command Trailer.  These technology upgrades will allow our law enforcement officers to better respond to threats and gather evidence. 

- Project:  Justice Information Sharing Program
Requestor: Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Amount: $1,000,000
Description:  Nearly every law enforcement agency in the greater Las Vegas Valley uses the Shared Computer Operations for Protection and Enforcement (SCOPE) database.  Unfortunately the current database is more than 40 years old and can no longer meet the requirements of a modern 21st century law enforcement operation.  Federal funds would be used in conjunction with local funds to upgrade this project.

- Project: Law Enforcement Technology
Requestor: The City of Henderson
Location: Henderson, NV            
Amount: $600,000
Description: The City of Henderson is establishing a joint public safety training facility with the City of Boulder City.  The training facility will host firearm training and certification courses at their shooting range and in their classrooms.  The City has committed more than $1 million in local funding to this effort, and federal funds would help purchase equipment for the law enforcement facility.

- Project: Tactical SWAT Vehicle
Requestor: City of North Las Vegas
Location: North Las Vegas, NV
Amount: $200,000
Description:  The North Las Vegas SWAT Team deploys a team of tactical medical personnel that are specially trained in life-saving techniques.  Unfortunately, the medics and SWAT personnel are currently riding in an outdated SWAT vehicle that lacks several essential capabilities, including a lack of secure storage for mission-critical life saving gear.  Funds would be used to equip a new Tactical Vehicle for use by the tactical medics and the SWAT Team. 

- Project: Regional Law Enforcement Training Facility
Requestor: The City of Boulder City
Location: Boulder City, NV
Amount: $250,000
Description: Boulder City has partnered with the City of Henderson to equip a law enforcement training facility that will be jointly used by law enforcement agencies throughout Southern Nevada.  Boulder City has donated 240 acres to the project, but they lack the funds to purchase equipment for a proposed gun range and other training facilities.  Funds would provide equipment for the Regional Law Enforcement Training Facility.

- Project: Security Upgrades at the Pahrump Government Building
Requestor: Nye County
Location: Pahrump, NV
Amount: $175,000
Description: Funds would be used to install additional metal detectors and cameras to secure the building from threats.  After the court violence in Reno several years ago, securing our judicial buildings remains an important priority that the federal government can help address. 

- Project: Justice Education Efforts
Requestor: National Judicial College
Location: Reno, NV
Amount: $500,000
Description: The National Judicial College in Reno educates more than 3,000 judges annually from all 50 states.  The NJC is vital resource for Nevada and the country as a whole.  Funds will be used to continue the development or improvement of existing curriculum to be used by NJC or the states in the training of judges.  (Reid, Ensign)

- Project: Judicial Training, Research and Technical Assistance Project
Requestor: National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
Location: Reno, NV
Amount: $500,000
Description: For over twenty years, the Technical Assistance to the Juvenile Court Project has provided the best available information and assistance to juvenile courts, probation, and justice professionals nationally. This information is particularly crucial to the over 3,000 juvenile court jurisdictions nationally that, typically, do not have research and development departments. 

- Project: Model Courts Program
Requestor: National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
Location: Reno, NV
Amount: $500,000
Description: Funding will pay for child abuse prevention training programs for judicial personnel and practitioners under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).

- Project: Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention Program
Requestor: Chabad of Southern Nevada
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Amount: $250,000
Description: Recovering addicts and certified drug counselors will visit local area schools to discuss the dangers of substance abuse with youth.  With one of the highest drop-out rates in the nation and possible links to substance abuse, Southern Nevada needs qualified drug education efforts. 

- Project: Immigrant Resource Project
Requestor: University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Amount: $350,000
Description: With one of the highest immigrant growth rates in the nation, Nevada deals with many legal issues related to immigration.  Nevada's communities struggle with the complexity of our immigration system.  This funding would assist UNLV's Boyd School of Law in providing information concerning America's immigration laws.  

- Project: Community-based Re-Entry Program For Ex-Offenders
Requestor: The Ridge House
Location: Reno, NV
Amount: $200,000
Description: For more than 27 years, the Ridge House has been providing rehabilitation services to inmates and ex-offenders.   Funds would be used to reintegrate more than 200 individuals who are leaving incarceration to productive, tax paying members of society. 

- Project: CARE Law Program
Requestor: Nevada Rural Counties RSVP Program
Location: Carson City, NV
Amount: $75,000
Description: RSVP's CARE Law program provides pro-bono legal assistance for low-income and homebound seniors throughout Nevada's 15 rural counties.  Attorneys make house-call legal services to seniors in order to provide them with a variety of services including wills, guardianships, and assistance with estate and probate issues. 

- Project: Safe House Project
Requestor: Protecting Sexually Exploited Children – Nevada
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Amount: $125,000
Description:  Since Las Vegas law enforcement began tracking arrest numbers in 1994, 150-200 children have been arrested annually for prostitution. Unfortunately, many untreated children are returning immediately to their commercial sexual exploitation upon release. Funding would provide for the planning and development of the Safe House to treat and care for sexually exploited children. 

- Project: Gravity Insensitive Climate Control Research and Design
Requestor: University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Amount: $750,000
Description: Equipment and facilities destined for use at a proposed NASA lunar base or in low-earth orbit (LEO) require heat dissipation for safe and reliable operation of equipment and the life support of astronauts.  This funding will help develop and manufacture a prototype system that NASA can test and utilize in zero-gravity environments. 

- Project: Child Assault Prevention Education Program
Requestor: The Rape Crisis Center
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Amount: $125,000
Description: With more than 35 years of experience in Southern Nevada, the Rape Crisis Center's outreach and education programs have been very successful. The Center has partnered with the Clark County School District to educate children about ways to prevent and identify sexual assault.