ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The Department of Justice has awarded a $1.4 million grant to the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office as part of the public safety initiative, Operation Relentless Pursuit. This initiative was launched by Attorney General William Barr in December of 2019.
The operation is meant to combat the high rate of violent crime in Albuquerque and six other major U.S. cities. The FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the U.S. Marshals Service are leading Operation Relentless Pursuit in partnership with their state and local partners in Albuquerque, Baltimore, Cleveland, Detroit, Kansas City, Memphis, and Milwaukee.
The DOJ’s commitment to Operation Relentless Pursuit includes an increase in federal agents to the seven cities along with a financial commitment of up to $71 million in federal grant funding to hire new officers, pay overtime and benefits, finance federally deputized task for officers, and provide mission-critical equipment and technology. BCSO says it will use the funding for advanced training for task force officers, to purchase equipment to reduce violent crime and to get both marked and unmarked surveillance vehicles.
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