Four Cities Set to Split Nearly $300 Million in Federal Crime Funds
Justice Department officials will travel to Jacksonville, Baton Rouge, Jackson and St. Louis to present awards and disclose how the money will be divided.
By Ana Castro ·
Residents in four U.S. cities may see expanded police staffing, new technology and mental health programs after the Justice Department selected them to split nearly $300 million in federal funding. Jacksonville, Florida; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Jackson, Mississippi; and St. Louis, Missouri were chosen for the department's Model Cities Initiative, according to details provided to Fox News Digital.
The Justice Department launched the competition in June as part of President Donald Trump's focus on reducing crime, asking cities to submit plans for cutting violent crime and improving public safety. Attorney General Todd Blanche said the initiative reflects the administration's commitment to reducing crime. "These cities are setting an example of proactive law enforcement that will strengthen the rule of law and improve public safety in their jurisdictions," Blanche said.
The funding could add substantially to local police budgets. Jacksonville budgets about $674 million annually for its sheriff's office, and St. Louis budgeted about $147 million for its police department in fiscal 2026. The Justice Department has not disclosed how the nearly $300 million will be divided among the four jurisdictions.
Jacksonville recorded 59 murders in 2024, its lowest total since at least 1995 and less than half the number recorded a year earlier, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. The department reported that murders fell 38% between 2023 and 2025, while robberies declined 25% and aggravated assaults fell 21%. Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters called the award a "generational investment" that would allow the department to "strengthen our investigative capabilities."
St. Louis recorded 263 homicides in 2020, a figure that fell to 150 in 2024, its lowest total since 2013. Homicides in the first three months of 2025 fell another 45% compared with the same period a year earlier. The Justice Department said St. Louis' proposal calls for expanding law enforcement personnel by more than 300 and modernizing policing technology.
Baton Rouge's police department was roughly 150 officers short earlier this year, prompting officials to approve what they described as the largest pay raise in department history, raising starting salaries from $40,000 to $58,000. Jackson, Mississippi was selected for what the Justice Department described as a technology-driven strategy to address violent crime. The Jackson Police Department operates a Real Time Command Center and specialized units focused on gun crime, vice and narcotics.
Attorney General Todd Blanche and other Justice Department officials will visit each city over the next 10 days to present the awards in person and reveal the individual funding amounts. Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr. said the initiative "offers an opportunity to build on that progress." The four jurisdictions will work with the department to finalize and implement their plans.
