GPD, HCSO to share in Homeland Security grants

ATLANTA - The Hall County Sheriff's Office and Gainesville Police Department are among 15 local government agencies in northeast Georgia earmarked for Homeland Security grants.

Gov. Sonny Perdue announced Monday that 151 local governments will receive $21.38 million through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Domestic Preparedness (ODP) FY05 State Homeland Security Program. The program, part of a $1.66 billion package announced last December, is designed to fund first responders and support state and local resources necessary to prevent, respond and recover from acts of terrorism and other disasters.

The Gainesville Police Department is getting $89,700; the Hall County Sheriff's Office share is $171,677. Other agencies in northeast Georgia on the list of recipients and the amounts they are to receive are: Banks Co. Fire & EMS ($7,941); Barrow Co. EMA ($78,021); Clarkesville Fire Dept. ($28,163); Cornelia Fire Dept. ($99,613); Elbert Co. EMS and EMA ($35,500); Habersham Co. ($50,040); Hart Co. E-911 ($11,000); Jackson Co. Sheriff's Office ($74,466); Stephens Co. EMS ($54,525); Towns Co. EMA ($34,602); and, Union Co. 911 ($28,696).

"Homeland security is one of the most important responsibilities of our state's law enforcement and emergency personnel, whether in metro Atlanta or rural South Georgia," said Perdue. "These grants will help many communities increase their preparedness and the protection of Georgia citizens."

As part of the application process, the Georgia Office of Homeland Security (OHS) - Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) All Hazards Councils, represented in each of the agency's eight regions, reviewed local applications for eligibility and how the requests enhanced local and regional response capacities. The applications were then prioritized and forwarded to OHS-GEMA for final review.

"Through careful analysis and a bottom-up planning process, our primary goal is to build regional response capabilities and to meet the goals outlined in the State of Georgia Strategic Plan for Terrorism Preparedness," said OHS-GEMA Director Mike Sherberger. "We want to make sure that in Georgia, we are leveraging resources to match demonstrated needs for Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) related training, exercise, equipment and other enhancements to fully establish our optimum response capabilities."

The State Homeland Security Grant Program is operated on a reimbursement basis. Once local governments complete training or purchase approved equipment, they may then submit requests for repayment. To qualify for the grants, requests must align with the State Strategic Plan. In addition, local applicants must agree to exercise the Incident Command System (ICS) in compliance with the National Incident Management System (NIMS) at the scene of emergencies or disasters. All applicants are also required to provide mutual aid response in the event of a real or suspected terrorist incident and to meet reporting requirements established in the grant contract.