The Biden administration is highlighting how federal money is being used to boost public safety efforts

Washington: The Biden administration is working to show how federal dollars are helping cities and police departments manage crime, while also providing job opportunities for youth in communities hit hard by that violence. .

Biden is expected to speak Wednesday afternoon about how his American Rescue Plan would encourage Detroit to pay for bonuses and hire 200 additional officers, Milwaukee to fund gun crime investigations and Chicago to fund community violence intervention efforts. Has helped to concentrate better.

Doug Emhoff, Vice President Kamala Harris’s husband, is hosting a roundtable on $85 million in federal grants to improve job opportunities for youth in communities impacted by gun violence and crime.

The president is looking to show he is tough on crime and compassionate toward communities affected by crime as the 2024 election heats up and Republicans are criticizing Democrats.

Violent crime increased across the country following the pandemic. But despite Republican claims that it has been steadily rising, crime declined in 2022, falling to levels similar to those before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the latest FBI crime data Is. The exception is property crime.

Cities benefiting from federal funding include Detroit, which invested more than $100 million for public safety, and in 2023 had its lowest number of homicides since 1966; 18% less by 2022, the White House said. In Chicago, a city often described as having a gun violence problem, the city used $100 in federal funding for public safety and community violence intervention efforts, targeting communities most at risk for violence. Is. The White House said the city saw a 13% drop in murders last year and non-fatal shootings also declined.

Biden has called gun violence an “ultimate storm” that is impacting not only victims but the everyday lives of community members. His administration says the response should better mirror how the government operates after natural disasters.

“It’s clear that gun violence is now the number one cause of premature death for all youth in America, we must take a government-wide public health approach to combat this crisis,” said Greg Jackson, White’s deputy director. Home Office of Gun Violence Prevention.

Jackson said the grants to communities will help provide critical resources to community organizations and government leaders and invest in those most at risk for violence. He said it was a way to address both “the lack of economic opportunity and the crisis of gun violence.”

The grants will be open to nonprofits, governments, and civic leaders to finance education, skills training, and paid work experience. This amount is being made available through the Employment and Training Administration of the Labor Department.

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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – The Associated Press)