(Washington, D.C.) - Montana's senior U.S. Senators Max Baucus announced Montana law enforcement agencies will be receiving Justice Department grants to purchase new equipment to improve community safety.

"Montana law enforcement officers deserve the right tools to protect our communities and return home safely to their families each night," said Baucus, a longtime supporter of Montana law enforcement grants. "These investments keep our main streets safe and support the hard work of our cops."

"The Montana Board of Crime Control awards these funds in order to help law enforcement agencies prevent victimization and fight crime in communities across our state and on tribal lands. The Justice Assistance Grant awards are central to our efforts to help keep Montanans safe," said Brooke Marshall, Executive Director of the Montana Board of Crime Control. "This award represents even more than the actual dollar amount. These funds are used to leverage other federal, state and local dollars to support the balanced functioning of Montana's criminal justice system."

Baucus announced today Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) awards for the following communities:

• Montana Board of Crime Control (Helena).....$985, 310 to coordinate resources to address local jail overcrowding, crack down on illegal drug manufacturing and distribution, drug awareness education, fund multi-jurisdictional drug task forces to target illegal drug trafficking on Montana's reservations, population centers and rural area

• Ravalli County Sheriff's Department....$10, 759 to purchase new equipment to enhance response times and investigation of incidents while improving department's efficiency.

• Lake County Sheriff's Department........$13,833 to purchase laptop computers for the sheriff's patrol fleet

About the JAG Program:

The JAG Program is the leading source of federal justice funding to state and local law enforcement agencies to support a range of areas including law enforcement, crime prevention, education, corrections, drug treatment and enforcement, technology improvement and crime victim/witness initiatives. Additional information on the U.S. Justice Department program is available online here: JAG Fact Sheet.