Kewanee police get $200K grant to curb violent crime

The Kewanee Police Department has received a $200,000 Rural Violent Crime Reduction Initiative (RVCRI) grant.

The federal funding provided over the next two years will support a program to help curb violent crime associated with the narcotics trade in the Kewanee area. It also will allow the department to implement an initiative called the Drug and Alcohol Addiction Response Team (DAART), according to a Friday department release.

The DAART mission is to provide a direct and sustained approach to promote mental well-being, prevent substance addiction, and support treatment and recovery opportunities for community members coping with mental health disorders, mental health crises, and drug and alcohol dependence.

DAART will be a partnership among many community and regional stakeholders, including the Henry/Stark Health Department, Henry County Court Services, Bridgeway, and the Kewanee Commission on Human Relations.

The Kewanee Police Department applied for this competitive federal grant with hopes to fund the agency’s dual-purpose strategy of increasing enforcement on violent criminals involved in the drug trade while also providing treatment solutions for individuals suffering from mental health issues, drug and alcohol addictions, or a combination of both, the release said.

The grant funds awarded will now help to make this initiative a reality. The primary goal is to get violent criminals off the street while simultaneously providing guidance and treatment options to community members that are suffering from addiction and mental health issues.

Grant funds will be used to help pay for salary costs for mental health counselors, detectives assigned to DAART, vehicle costs, automatic license plate reader cameras, training, and travel-related expenses for the program. 

The RVCRI is funded by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance and administered by the National Policing Institute and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, with support from the Small and Rural Law Enforcement Executives Association.

RVCRI provides funding and training and technical assistance (TTA) to rural law enforcement agencies seeking to reduce violent crime and address problems associated with violent crime. Agencies may use funding and support to implement violent crime reduction strategies, improve investigations, enhance services to victims, increase collaboration between local stakeholders, and for other areas that support violent crime reduction in rural communities. 

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