Local Public Safety Agencies
Test Federal Pilot Program
JEFFERSON CITY, November 29, 2005-In much of rural
Missouri, law officers and emergency responders are volunteers who
receive little pay and little recognition until the worst happens.
Missouri aims to recognize their importance before they are put to
the test by equipping their agencies with the tools needed.
The program is called the Commercial Equipment Direct
Assistance Program (CEDAP), and the current funding phase is geared
toward small law enforcement and emergency responder agencies. The
State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) is reviewing applications
for the grant program until Jan. 13, 2006. Funding is available for
equipment items such as defensive and protective equipment, detection,
search and rescue equipment, information sharing and risk assessment
software, and interoperable communications technology.
“This program targets an often underfunded portion
of all law enforcement and emergency responder agencies,” said
Mark James, Public Safety Director. “With this phase of the
program, we are ensuring that resources are not awarded solely to
the agencies with the best grant writers or only to agencies in the
most populous areas.”
Funding for the program is made possible through the DHS Office of
State and Local Government Coordination and Preparedness (SLGCP).
Applications for this phase will be received on line at the SLGCP
Responder Knowledge Base (RKB), hosted by the Memorial Institute for
the Prevention of Terrorism (MIPT). Interested jurisdictions may apply
online or get further information on Phase II of the CEDAP at http://sema.dps.mo.gov/HS%202005.htm.
SEMA will review and concur on grant recipients.
CEDAP is a pilot program of the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security (DHS). The goal of the program is to get equipment
that has previously been out of reach to smaller jurisdictions. DHS
programs such as the Urban Area Security Initiative ready large metropolitan
areas to prepare for and respond to threats and acts of terrorism.
The CEDAP focuses more on readying suburban, rural and border areas
to prepare for and respond to terrorist threats and acts.
Media interested in more information on Missouri’s
administration of the CEDAP may contact Terri Durdaller at (573) 751-4819.
Jurisdictions interested in more information about the CEDAP may contact
the SLGCP Helpline at 1-800-368-6498.