The Justice Department awarded $7 million in grants to help communities deal with their response to traumatic violence, including police-involved shootings.
Given to the International Association of Chiefs of Police in collaboration with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Yale School of Medicine, the money is supposed to help develop ways to defuse tension and promote community healing.
Law enforcement will be able to create rapid response teams comprising consultants, law enforcement experts, victim assistance organization and mental health agencies to “promote community engagement and address the consequences of violent acts, including shootings of and by law enforcement officers.”
The money is meant to curb violence against law enforcement and by law enforcement by increasing the trust between communities and police.
“The Department of Justice is determined to stand with our citizen and law enforcement partners as they grapple with the aftermath of painful incidents,” Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in a statement. “As part of that commitment, these vital grants will help communities acknowledge the effects of violence, address collective trauma, and promote unity and healing where it is needed most.”
According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, 43 police officers have died since January, a 43 percent increase over the same time period last year.
Meanwhile, protests have broken out nationwide following fatal police shootings of black men, such as Keith Lamont Scott in Charlotte last month.
“Violence does not occur in a vacuum,” Lynch said. “It has a powerful effect on the psyche of an entire community, stirring painful emotions and raising difficult tensions.”
