NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — In front of a scrum of reporters Tuesday afternoon, Gov. Bill Lee gave his best sales pitch for how to reduce violent crime in Tennessee.
"We have a significant crime problem in this country. Tennessee has not escaped it," said Gov. Lee.
His solution: more funding for local law enforcement. But agencies have to put in bids for the money, and there are strings attached.
"It has to be proven initiatives that have evidence behind them," said Lee.
According to state documents, to be considered, the bid has to meet one of the following qualifications:
- Implementation of programming based on proven effective violent crime intervention models
2. Hiring and training of specialized violent crime investigative units 3. Purchase and application of new technology and equipment
4. Law enforcement led partnerships with community organizations of their choice to directly disrupt or prevent violent crime
The state is also opening up a pool of supplemental funds available to agencies that enter into collaborations or regional partnerships.
"So it has guard rails, appropriately so, to make sure it’s being spent on data and evidence-based violent crime initiatives," said Gov. Lee.
Lee initially wanted $150 million for this Violent Crime Intervention Fund, but the state legislature only gave him $100 million in the 2022-2023 budget. According to a release from Lee's office, every agency that applies will receive some type of funding, but the priority will be on communities dealing with higher crime rates.
Don Aaron, a spokesperson for the Metro Nashville Police Department, says they're interested in getting funding for police cameras in public areas and setting up a Real Time Crime Center-type concept so they can keep tabs on crime reports as they happen.
A spokesperson for Murfreesboro Police tells NewsChannel 5 they're also reviewing the guidelines to determine their bid.
Lee told reporters that despite strict criteria on funding, they really do want local communities to drive how the money is used.
"It certainly has to fall within guidelines, but local police departments know best what they need and we want to give us as much flexibility as possible," said Lee.
The deadline for local police departments to apply for the Violent Crime Intervention Fund is January 16, 2023.
