Title
Resolution Approving the City of Hampton, Virginia's Participation In and Appropriation of the Byrne/JAG Law Enforcement/First Responders Cooperative Response Projects Grant
Purpose
PURPOSE/BACKGROUND:
The Department of Criminal Justice Services has awarded the City of Hampton Police Division grant funding in the amount of $71,543.00 in federal funds with no match requirement in support of the Police Division's Mobile Response to Extremism, Civil Unrest, and Terrorism Project. The grant funds are to implement in a two-pronged approach to combatting violent extremism, domestic terrorism, and hate crimes within the Commonwealth of Virginia. A portion of the funding will be used to host the first unified training event of its kind in the region: a four-day Mobile Response Team Training to focus on addressing deficiencies when responding to civil disturbance, unrest, or riot events with a possible terrorism nexus. Additional funds are to procure equipment critical to the response of these types of events and in support of the Police Division's Mobile Response Team (MRT).
Discussion:
Across the nation, terrorism, violent extremism, and hate crimes have been on the rise as critical incidents law enforcement and first responders are tasked with locally. In support of this developing trend, the Hampton Police Division restructured the Mobile Response Team (MRT) to focus in areas of civil disturbance/unrest to act as the first level response to these situations. National incidents such as those experienced in Ferguson, Baltimore, and Charlottesville lend themselves as examples of opportunities for training development in these areas. Many local agencies have minimal real-life experience in these large scale events and in coordinating various resources to the magnitude required to successfully mitigate these threats. The goal of this project is to enhance the Hampton Police Division’s ability to respond to civil disturbance, unrest, and/or riot events with...
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