BATON ROUGE — Baton Rouge has secured a major federal grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to bolster local law enforcement and reduce violent crime across the parish.

The federal award is part of the "Model Cities Initiative," a competitive program launched by the Trump administration to target urban crime through strategic policing resources and intergovernmental coordination. 

"Out of 47 major cities that applied, only four cities in the nation were selected, and Baton Rouge was one of those," Mayor-President Sid Edwards announced.

Edwards highlighted existing local investments and regional cooperation as pivotal factors in the federal government's selection, "Particularly citing one, the historic pay raise we invested in the Baton Rouge Police Department in making it the highest-paid city police department in the state of Louisiana. Two, our strong partnerships among local government."

The funding total will be disclosed next week during an official visit by top federal leadership. U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche is scheduled to travel to Baton Rouge on Wednesday, Nov. 4 to formally present the award to local leaders.

"We know this historic investment in law enforcement has the potential to reduce violent crime for decades to come. On Wednesday, we will know the amount of the grant, and operational planning will begin immediately, so that we are ready to implement the strategies in early January," Edwards said.

City-parish officials plan to move quickly once the exact dollar amount is confirmed.

"Operational planning will begin immediately so that we are ready to implement the strategies in early January," Edwards added.