Trump Admin Names Four Cities to Share Nearly $300 Million in Public Safety Grants

Four U.S. cities will receive nearly $300 million in federal funding after being selected for a Justice Department initiative aimed at reducing violent crime and improving local law enforcement.

Jacksonville, Florida; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Jackson, Mississippi; and St. Louis, Missouri, were named winners of the department's Model Cities Initiative, according to information obtained by Fox News.

The competition, launched in June, invited cities across the country to submit detailed plans for addressing crime and strengthening public safety. The four selected jurisdictions will now divide the funding, though the Justice Department has not yet announced how much each will receive.

Attorney General Todd Blanche and other department officials are expected to visit all four cities over the next 10 days to present the awards and disclose the individual amounts.

The initiative was created as part of President Donald Trump's broader effort to combat crime in American cities. Rather than requiring one specific policing strategy, the program allows communities to develop plans around their own challenges.

Funding can support additional law enforcement and public safety personnel, new equipment and technology, forensic resources, and programs addressing mental health, substance abuse and repeat offenses.

Each city brings a different set of circumstances to the program. Jacksonville was recognized after recording a substantial decline in violent crime, including a 38% drop in murders between 2023 and 2025, according to the DOJ.

The city recorded 59 homicides in 2024, its lowest annual total since at least 1995. Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters called the federal award a "generational investment" that would help expand investigative capabilities and provide officers with additional resources.

St. Louis, which has faced years of elevated violence, was selected for a proposal to add more than 300 law enforcement personnel and modernize policing technology. The city recorded 150 homicides in 2024, down from 263 in 2020.

Baton Rouge was chosen in part for its partnerships between police, local government and community organizations. The department has also been working to address a shortage of roughly 150 officers, recently increasing starting salaries from $40,000 to $58,000.

Jackson, Mississippi, earned a spot with a technology-focused plan involving stronger coordination among law enforcement agencies, expanded investigations and targeted enforcement. Its police department already operates a Real Time Command Center and specialized investigative units.

Blanche said the selected cities demonstrated proactive approaches to public safety and would help strengthen local law enforcement.

The four jurisdictions will now work with the Justice Department to finalize their plans and put the federal funding to use.