Today, the Justice Department announced the selection of four jurisdictions to receive nearly $300 million in federal funding through its Model Cities Initiative (MCI), a flagship effort to reduce violent crime, restore law and order, and strengthen public safety in American communities.
Jacksonville, Florida; East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana; Jackson, Mississippi; and St. Louis, Missouri, have been selected to receive federal investments supporting innovative, comprehensive, locally driven strategies to combat crime and enhance coordination among federal, state, and local law enforcement partners.
“The Model Cities Initiative reflects the Trump Administration’s commitment to reducing crime across the country and ensuring the safety of every American,” said Attorney General Todd Blanche. “These cities are setting an example of proactive law enforcement that will strengthen the rule of law and improve public safety in their jurisdictions. As violent crime rates continue to fall to historic lows, the Department of Justice is redoubling our efforts to invest in local communities and keep American families safe.”
“President Trump and this Department of Justice have demonstrated that Americans need not accept unsafe streets as a fact of life,” said Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward, Jr. “We have made tremendous strides in restoring public safety, with nonfatal violent crime declining 25 percent from 2024 to 2025. The Model Cities Initiative offers an opportunity to build on that progress, empowering these cities to set a new standard for safer communities across America.”
The initiative takes a whole-of-city approach to public safety, bringing together law enforcement agencies, local government officials, and community partners to develop comprehensive strategies that address the unique public safety challenges facing their communities. The applications submitted by the four selected jurisdictions exemplified the innovative, forward-thinking approaches the Department sought through the initiative.
While each jurisdiction faces unique public safety challenges and brings different priorities, resources, and starting points to the initiative, the Department is confident in the strength of their proposals and their commitment to achieving meaningful results. Despite differing approaches, all four jurisdictions demonstrated a shared determination to reduce violent crime and make their communities safer.
Through the initiative, the Justice Department will work with each jurisdiction to finalize and implement its public safety plan. Funding will support a range of priorities, including hiring sworn and non-sworn law enforcement officers and other personnel to support enforcement, prosecution, and related public safety activities; adopting new and improved technology; purchasing or leasing equipment; enhancing forensic capabilities and capacity; and providing services to address mental health and substance use issues and reduce recidivism.
Attorney General Blanche will visit the four selected jurisdictions next month to present the awards and meet with local law enforcement officials, elected leaders, and community partners.
The Justice Department announced the Model Cities Initiative in June 2026 to build on early successes in jurisdictions such as Memphis, Tennessee, and Washington, D.C., in reducing violence, crime, and disorder. The initiative directs nearly $300 million in federal resources toward comprehensive public safety strategies that strengthen law enforcement, improve coordination among public safety partners, and address the factors contributing to crime and recidivism.
Through these investments, the Justice Department will work alongside local partners to implement sustainable public safety solutions and deliver measurable results. The four Model Cities will help advance the Administration’s efforts to reject the status quo of allowing crime and disorder to go unchecked and restore law, order, and safety to communities across the nation.