Four U.S. Cities Win Nearly $300 Million DOJ Crime Grants

1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 30

Jacksonville, Baton Rouge, Jackson and St. Louis were selected for the Justice Department’s new Model Cities Initiative, with individual award amounts to be disclosed during DOJ visits over the next 10 days.
Nearly $300 million will fund citywide anti-crime plans rather than a single program, allowing the cities to hire police and civilian staff, buy technology, expand forensics and support mental health, substance-abuse and recidivism efforts.
Jacksonville and St. Louis entered the competition with notable crime declines: Jacksonville logged 59 murders in 2024, while St. Louis fell from 263 homicides in 2020 to 150 in 2024 and another 45% in early 2025.
Baton Rouge and Jackson were picked for different needs—Baton Rouge is about 150 officers short despite raising starting pay to $58,000, while Jackson proposed a technology-heavy strategy with broader interagency coordination.
Launched in June under President Donald Trump’s crime-reduction push, the competition asked cities nationwide for tailored public-safety plans that DOJ says could become models for other jurisdictions.