Subcommittee on Science, Justice, Commerce and Related Agencies

Comprehensive Services for Victims of Domestic Abuse and their Children - YWCA Tucson, 525 N. Bonita Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85745 - $200,000, OJP - Byrne Discretionary Grants:  In 2008, the YWCA Tucson formed a unique collaboration with the Emerge! Center Against Domestic Abuse and the Sahuaro Girl Scout Council called the Partnership for Women and Girls.  This partnership provides programs and services for 60,000 women and girls each year in southern Arizona who have experienced domestic abuse.  The Partnership provides a hotline for victims of domestic abuse; emergency shelter and transitional housing support; long-term mental health counseling; family support services; skill assessment and training for successful employment search; child day care; leadership development, scholarships, and technology education for girls; and enrichment activities for children who have experienced abuse.  This is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because the Partnership will expand its programs to serve an additional 1,873 women and children.  Click here for a letter of support from Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall.

Foster Care Initiative - Devereux Arizona, 6141 East Grant Road, Tucson, AZ  85712 - $175,000, OJP – Juvenile Justice:  Funding will be used to provide foster care parents and affected adults throughout southern Arizona with the knowledge, skills, training and support needed to promote the social and emotional well-being and resilience of the children in their care.  This project is an important use of taxpayer funds because it will provide the necessary training to help alleviate the obstacles children in foster care face.  The statistics are staggering: about 85% of foster care children have at least one special need; over 50% of foster care children will drop out of high school, and only 1% of former foster children earn a college degree.  Since 1998, Devereux Arizona has placed over 3,000 children in foster care homes all around the state.  Click here for a letter of support from Jackie Hillis of the Arizona Department of Economic Security.

PCWIN Countywide Public Safety Interoperable Communications System - Pima County Sheriff’s Department, 1750 E. Benson Hwy, Tucson, AZ  85714 - $525,000, COPS - Law Enforcement Technology:  The Pima County Wireless Integrated Network (PCWIN) project is designed to provide public safety grade communications to all 32 public safety agencies within and throughout Pima County.  The system provides reliable, real-time, interoperable communications.  This project is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it will be used to purchase 35 new 9-1-1 telephones to bring emergency calls to a shared dispatch center supporting the operations of a County Fire District consortium and the Sheriff's Department as well as provide immediate back-up for a combined City of Tucson Fire and Police Emergency Communications Center.  Click here for a letter of support from Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik. 

Tucson Drug Trafficking Suppression Initiative - City of Tucson, 255 W. Alameda St., Tucson, AZ  85701 - $450,000, OJP - Byrne Discretionary Grants:  This funding will be used to support efforts of the Tucson Police Department and the Counter Narcotics Alliance (CNA), a coalition of local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.  The Tucson Sector is the most porous section of the entire U.S.-Mexico Border.  More than 48% of the nation’s drug traffic enters our country through southern Arizona.  This project is a good use of taxpayer dollars because it will be used to implement a unique surveillance program to counteract the impacts of the growing Mexican drug trafficking industry in Tucson and the nation.  Evidence obtained through interception of the drug traffickers’ electronic communications will offer unparalleled investigative opportunities to disrupt and dismantle drug trafficking organizations across the country.  It will also provide opportunities to develop prosecutable cases against local source organizations.  Even more importantly, it will provide investigators valuable information that will make the undercover operations safer for our agents.  Click here for a letter of support from Tucson Mayor Robert Walkup.

Upgrades to PCWIN Tucson Police Department Communications Facility - City of Tucson, 255 W. Alameda St., Tucson, AZ  85701 - $350,000, COPS – Law Enforcement Technology:  The Pima County Wireless Integrated Network (PCWIN) project is designed to provide public safety grade communications to all 32 public safety agencies within and throughout Pima County.  The system provides reliable, real-time, interoperable communications.  Funding will be used to renovate the current Tucson Police Department Communications facility to comply with federal regulations and make it compatible with the new 800 megahertz radio system so that it can serve as a "live" back-up facility for Pima County.  This project is an important use of taxpayer funds because it will address emergency preparedness gaps for Pima County and allow law enforcement to dramatically improve disaster response and public safety.  Click here for a letter of support from Tucson Mayor Robert Walkup.