Pubdate: Tue, 23 Mar 2010 Source: El Paso Times (TX) Copyright: 2010 El Paso Times Contact: http://www.elpasotimes.com/formnewsroom Website: http://www.elpasotimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/829 Author: David Burge LAW AGENCIES SEEK GRANT FOR BORDER CRIME EL PASO -- The city Police Department is teaming up with a handful of other law enforcement agencies to seek a $5 million federal grant to fight crime along the border. The city's police, the El Paso County Sheriff's Office and police in Socorro and Horizon City plan to apply for an Operation Stonegarden grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The grant money will pay for police overtime for extra patrols to combat drug smuggling, gangs, money laundering, auto thefts or other crimes along the border, Assistant Police Chief Jerome Johnson said. The money will not be used for immigration enforcement, he said. "We'll be looking for guns, narcotics and money related to drug activities," Johnson said. The local agencies would share the grant money. No local match is required. The City Council is being asked today to approve a joint application for the grant. "Any money we receive is a good thing," Johnson said. "It will benefit our department and the citizens." The El Paso Police Department is also asking the council to allow it to spend $66,000 of federal grant money to buy four bomb suits, four helmets and two searchlights that attach to the helmets. The purchase will give the city's bomb squad a greater ability to respond to two or three simultaneous incidents, Johnson said. The purchase will be paid for with Urban Area Security Initiative grant money. If approved, the equipment would be bought from Allen Vanguard Technology Inc., based in Canada. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D