Recipient: Eau Claire County
Amount:  $100,000
Location: Eau Claire County

Description:  This funding will be used to expand the use of Eau Claire’s treatment courts, which facilitate collaboration between the criminal justice system and treatment programs to address the root causes of criminal behavior such as drug abuse and mental illness.  Research has shown that treatment court programs, like the one in Eau Claire, have been proven successful at stopping the cycle of crime by treating offenders with drug abuse or mental health problems and helping them to find and hold down jobs.

Recipient:  Green Bay Police Department
Amount:  $100,000
Location:  Green Bay

Description: The Green Bay Police Department will purchase two new mobile technologies that will shorten investigation times and allow officers to spend more time on patrol:  (1) Four mobile identification terminals which will enable law enforcement officers to do on-the-spot identification checks and instantly search federal, state and local databases of photographs and fingerprints while in the field; and (2) Two Automatic License Plate Recognition cameras for squad cars.  The system will capture license plate images within view of the squad car, instantaneously compare them to numerous databases, and then immediately notify the officer in the car of any irregularities.

Recipient:  Kenosha Boys & Girls Club
Amount:  $200,000
Location:  Kenosha

Description: The Boys & Girls Club of Kenosha, a community leader in at-risk youth development, will use this funding to expand its Gang Prevention Program in an effort to curb Kenosha’s growing gang problem. Utilizing a model developed by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Club’s Gang Prevention Programs engage at-risk youth after the school day by providing a variety of services such as tutoring, mentorship, structured athletics, job skills training and career counseling.  With this additional funding, the Club will be able to serve more than 5,000 at-risk young people. 

Recipient:  Madison Police Department
Amount:  $500,000
Location:  Madison

Description:  Over the past seven years, the Madison Police Department has collaborated with the sixteen other Dane County law enforcement agencies to implement technology that allows the agencies to communicate.  Through this funding, the Department will further improve communications and information sharing systems among the Dane County law enforcement agencies, an effort which will allow law enforcement officers from any of the agencies to access information from a centralized network.  The Madison Police Department will connect their squad cars to the centralized network, install a regional wireless system that all agencies can access, and implement speech recognition software to aid officers in dictating reports.

Recipient: Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office
Amount:  $200,000
Location: Milwaukee County

Description:  The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office will purchase and install a biometric iris scanning system at the Milwaukee County Jail.  The system will capture an image of the iris of every individual that is booked at the jail.  By capturing this unique marker, the Sheriff’s Office will be able to instantly confirm the identity of individuals who return to the jail, without relying on fingerprint files maintained by other agencies.  This technology will speed intake and release processes, reduce paperwork and decrease operational costs.  The technology will be integrated with the existing jail management system.

Recipient:  Milwaukee Police Department
Amount:  $175,000
Location:  Milwaukee

Description:  This project will allow the Milwaukee Police Department to purchase and install thirty-five in-squad video cameras.  Currently, 45 percent of the Department’s squad car fleet lack cameras.  The Department uses in-squad video cameras and the footage they capture to facilitate criminal investigations, promote public trust in the police force, and to train officers.

Recipient:  North Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission
Amount:  $250,000
Location:   North Central Wisconsin

Description: The North Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (NCWRPC) is a public agency that provides local and regional assistance in the areas of intergovernmental cooperation and land use planning.  The NCWRPC will use the funding to purchase and install a communications system for the counties of Florence, Forest, Langlade, Lincoln, Marathon, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto, Oneida, Portage, Price, Shawano, Taylor, Vilas, Waupaca and Wood.  The system would allow over 500 public safety agencies in these counties to communicate and respond to emergencies in a coordinated and efficient manner.  This will lead to faster response times and increased public safety.

Recipient:  City of Racine
Amount:  $300,000
Location:  Racine

Description:With this funding, the City of Racine will establish and oversee a gang prevention steering committee made up of members of the Racine Police Department, public schools, State Attorney’s Office and Department of Health and Human Services.  It will hire a coordinator to oversee and coordinate the activities of public agencies and private organizations that are involved in anti-gang efforts.  This will result in a more efficient implementation of anti-gang strategies. 

Recipient:  Safe & Sound
Amount:  $650,000
Location:  Milwaukee

Description: Through this funding, Safe & Sound will coordinate with the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Community Prosecution unit, the Milwaukee Police Department and the Milwaukee Department of Neighborhood Services to improve conditions in the Milwaukee neighborhoods with the highest rate of violent crime.  Community Prosecution Coordinators will work with residents and law enforcement to address criminal nuisance properties to reduce blight and crime, Community Partners will build a positive relationship between law enforcement and the community through increased door-to-door resident contact, the after-school Safe Places program will engage over 600 at-risk youth in crime prevention programs, and the Milwaukee County Boys & Girls Club will provide reentry services such as mental health treatment and job placement for incarcerated youth.

Recipient:  Wisconsin Office of Justice Assistance
Amount:  $750,000
Location:  Statewide

Description: This Office of Justice Assistance (OJA) program will provide competitive grants to fund local organizations that develop programs to serve children who are exposed to domestic violence and are therefore prone to delinquency and criminal behavior.  The grant program would fund projects that improve the link between children’s domestic violence programs, social services, schools and law enforcement so that children access have to a more comprehensive response to their needs.  This type of comprehensive approach will make such responses more efficient and effective in preventing children from getting involved in crime and burdening the juvenile justice system.

Recipient:  Milwaukee Family Justice Center
Amount:  $200,000
Location:  Milwaukee

Description:  The Sojourner Family Peace Center will use this funding to create the Milwaukee Family Justice Center, a “one-stop-shop” of critical services and programs for domestic violence victims.  Serving women and children who flee abusers, the Milwaukee Family Justice Center would include a central intake, emergency shelter, mental health counseling, support groups, vocational training and legal assistance to file restraining orders. The Center would house social services and law enforcement agencies, including the Milwaukee Police Department and Children’s Hospital Child Protection Center.

Recipient:  University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Amount:  $5,000,000
Location:  Milwaukee

Description:  The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is developing a water technology accelerator to promote in-depth, public-private collaborative technology development. Funding will support the purchase of equipment for state-of-the-art laboratories that will lead to the production of new engineering products and services that can compete in the world’s burgeoning water market.  Funding will also support engineering and technical staff to develop, prototype, and test new products with engineers and scientists from the region’s water-based companies. The University estimates that over the first five years 200 new water jobs will be created.