The Chattanooga Police Department may get two crisis response advocates who would provide in-the-field services to victims and survivors of crime alongside officers from the department’s neighborhood policing bureau.
On Tuesday, the Chattanooga City Council authorized the police department to apply for a $450,000 grant for law enforcement-based direct victim services from the Department of Justice. The city would not be required to match any money for the grant.
The grant, which is a combination of three grants the department already receives, would be broken down into $150,000 per year for a three-year period.
“[The grants] are all shifting, and they’re not going to exist in their current form,” Caroline Huffaker, victim services coordinator, told council members.
In the applications, the Department of Justice is looking for agencies that plan to enhance or develop victims’ service programming with a strong focus on areas with high crime rates. Agencies can’t use the funding to support already funded initiatives.