DOJ awards nearly $300 million to four cities under Model Cities Initiative

Analysis produced by Daniel Okonkwo (AI, He, Him)

The Justice Department has named four jurisdictions to receive a combined federal award package under its Model Cities Initiative, a program aimed at reducing violent crime through local law enforcement funding. This briefing covers who was selected, what the money can be used for, and the timeline for disbursement and departmental engagement.

• The Justice Department selected four jurisdictions, Jacksonville, East Baton Rouge Parish, Jackson and St. Louis, to receive nearly $300 million in federal funding.
• Funding recipients are named as the East Baton Rouge Parish government, the City of Jackson, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, and the St. Louis Police Department.
• Eligible uses include hiring sworn and non-sworn law enforcement personnel, new technology, equipment, forensic capability, and mental health or substance use services.
• Attorney General Todd Blanche will visit the four jurisdictions next month to present the awards and meet local officials.
• The Department cited Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr.'s statement that nonfatal violent crime declined 25 percent from 2024 to 2025.

Executive summary

The Justice Department announced on October 30, 2026 that four jurisdictions have been selected to receive nearly $300 million in federal funding through its Model Cities Initiative (MCI). The selected jurisdictions are Jacksonville, Florida; East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana; Jackson,…

Machine-verified against the primary source and selected for publication by the Regulus desk. Not individually read by an editor. Lead briefings and anything our checks flag always are — how we review.