Manzullo: $850,000 will help fight crime, create jobs

From press release

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Rep. Don Manzullo (R-16) announced Dec. 10 he has secured $850,000 in federal funds for various initiatives to help fight crime and create jobs in Rockford and Winnebago County.

The funding is included in the 2010 Omnibus Appropriations bill, which the House and Senate are expected to approve in the next few weeks before sending to the president for his signature. Manzullo secured funds for the following initiatives:

Rockford Crimefighting Technology Initiative—$250,000—The City of Rockford will use the funds to upgrade crimefighting technology at the Rockford Police Department. The City of Rockford has one of the highest crime rates in the state of Illinois. To help drive down Rockford’s high crime rate, the Rockford Police Department needs additional financial resources to update the department’s records management system and purchase new crime-fighting software that will assist the police department in identifying, deploying and effectively apprehending those who are involved in criminal activity.

Communications Equipment for Winnebago County Sheriff’s Police—$250,000—The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department will use the funds to purchase upgraded crimefighting communications equipment. To address Winnebago County’s high crime rate, federal funding will be dedicated to helping purchase badly-needed upgraded communications equipment that is a vital component in the operations of the Sheriff’s Department to help fight crime.

River District Development Initiative in Rockford—$100,000—Funding will support a Small Business Development Initiative that will implement a collaborative plan to encourage new businesses, enhance the growth of existing business and create sustainable jobs for the downtown area of Rockford and the region.

University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford—$250,000—Funding will help construct the expansion of the National Center for Rural Health Professions at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford. The expansion of the National Center for Rural Health Professions will represent the first center of its kind in the country, bringing medicine and pharmacy students together into an interdisciplinary program. Severe disparities exist in access to health care in rural areas across the United States. The National Center for Rural Health Professions is greatly needed to serve as a national rural health education resource for medical colleges and rural communities conducting research, developing curricula, implementing and evaluating rural medical and health care education models and studying trends in rural health-related professional training needs.

“Jobs and crime are two of the largest challenges in Rockford and Winnebago County right now, and two areas in need of federal assistance,” Manzullo said.