Local police left to wonder if their federal grants were defunded by Trump's 'freeze'
Jan. 31, 2025
SOUTH BEND — Local police had an uncertain few days wondering if the federal grants they had received would be affected by the White House's announced pause on grant funding.
In the case of the South Bend Police Department, the question was whether it would be reimbursed for the allocated grant money it had already spent.
That uncertainty was partially eased Jan. 29 when the White House rescinded the memo announcing the pause, though officials later said only the memo was rescinded, not the freeze announced in the memo.
Police agencies nationwide were awarded funding from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance to improve programs including crime prevention, technology improvement and mental health programs. Each year, departments receive money calculated by a summary of Part 1 violent crime data reported to the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS).
The South Bend, Mishawaka and St. Joseph County police departments were all awarded funding of varying amounts.
South Bend Police were awarded $133,552 in September 2024 and spent the money in January from the department's grant account, as they planned to be reimbursed. They've never asked for the money ahead of time; it's always been reimbursement, said Sgt. Aaron Knepper, who handles the grant process for South Bend and St. Joseph County Police.
But due to the White House's possible pause of federal grant aid, which includes the Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) that was awarded under the Biden Administration, it's unknown when or if police will be reimbursed for the money they spent.
"We're going to be hopeful that is resolved quickly," Knepper said on Jan. 28. "Unfortunately, both of the purchases this year are pretty major purchases, so it may put a pause on them depending on how quickly we get an answer."
South Bend Police bought new safety items for its five-year firearms upgrade, the department said on Jan. 14. The safety items include a new sight system, a new higher-level retention holster and a flashlight that attaches to an officer's firearm, said Knepper, who works in the department’s Logistics Division.
All officer duty-carried sidearms are being replaced, and the JAG Grant will be used for safety and tactical components of the firearm, Chief of Police Scott Ruszkowski and Assistant Chief Dan Skibins confirmed on Jan. 15.
"It's a complete different setup for the officers, and this year, we're able to, obviously, supplement some of that big expenditure with this JAG award," Knepper told The Tribune on Jan. 15, before the grant freeze was announced.
"If these things would fall through, then these projects could potentially be at risk, unless the department can budget appropriately or the city feels that we need to move forward with those purchases," he said. "… It may have to be a conversation at a later time, should the federal government decide these grants are no longer gonna be funded," he said.
Will police be reimbursed by Feb. 3?
Following the White House's pause on government grants, loans and financial assistance programs, excluding Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and SNAP benefits, US District Judge Loren L. AliKhan, on Jan. 28, issued a short-term pause on the freeze through at least Feb. 3 at 5 p.m. ET.
Then came the Jan. 29 announcement the freeze memo had been rescinded. Then came the White House statement that only the memo had been rescinded but the spending review remained in place.
When asked if there is still a possibility of reimbursement coming in before Feb. 3, Knepper responded, “I believe so.”
The department is hoping to receive $1,500 back from last quarter, which was part of the money spent from the 2023 JAG Grant on water safety gear — including floatation vests and throw bags for water rescue —which were seen as useful when Officer Molly Anton saved a man from a sinking car in a lake at Pinhook Park in May 2021.
In 2024, South Bend Police were awarded around $700,000 total in grants.
"The next council meeting, they’re (the department's fiscal manager) going ask for an increase to our budget, to accommodate for my grant spending," Knepper said. "Technically, our budget will go up $700,000. Whenever I make those purchases this year and get reimbursed, that money will come in and go straight back to the city.”
“If (grant funding) does freeze in February and doesn’t get resolved by the end of the first fiscal quarter, that’s when our department would see an actual impact,” he told The Tribune Jan. 29.
A Tribune reporter contacted the city controller, Kyle Willis, to inquire about increasing the police department's budget for grant spending based on expected grant money coming in via reimbursement and if the White House's freeze — not knowing if grant money will come in or not — affects the city's decision to give the police department more money.
"If grant had been awarded, normally we are able to go ahead and ask the council to appropriate the funds," Willis said on Jan. 30. "Let's say in the case of — obviously, they have rescinded the freeze on federal spending — if they were to have kept that in place and then announced that we really wouldn't be receiving those funds … that's money that we spent that we won't get reimbursed."
Less money, less crime?
Knepper discussed receiving less money in 2024 compared to 2023, saying that the 2024 award was quite a reduction compared to past years.
“The JAG is determined 100% based on UCR, or now NIBRS, crime stats and recorded by our agency,” he said. “… I can only assume that it’s because of the fact that we have recorded less violent crime.”
In past years, SBPD has also used the JAG grant for officer safety equipment, updating equipment or laboratory equipment, Knepper told The Tribune on Sept. 24. This included providing officers with hi-definition digital cameras that cost $1,000 each and enhancing equipment and gear on an officer’s duty belt with newer technology, he told the South Bend Board of Public Safety at its Sept. 18 meeting. Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in patrol vehicles have also been replaced in previous years from JAG funding. The department currently has 50 AEDs spread across all three patrol shifts, Knepper said.
Part of South Bend’s 2023 JAG award of $157,097 went toward e-bikes and a police car-shaped bounce house for community events, because $55,000 of the grant was allocated toward public outreach.
The police department also plans to buy more BolaWrap non-lethal restraining devices, but it will use a state grant from Indiana JAG for this, Knepper said. Rather than a pre-allocated amount from the federal grant, the department will come up with a list of needs, apply for it and see what they’re granted, he said.
“I know the chiefs have interest in expanding the BolaWrap program and that would be a grant that I would seek that for, depending on what other needs the department has at the time for those funds,” Knepper said.
Knepper submitted the grant application on behalf of South Bend and St. Joseph County Police. They were awarded a combined $144,001, with $10,449 allocated toward St. Joseph County Police. County Police told The Tribune on Jan. 17 that its grant money has not been spent yet.
Every second matters
The Mishawaka Police Department plans to use its awarded $11,879 to buy eight Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) and assign them to the patrol division. The department confirmed Jan. 31 that because of the confusion of whether grant funds are frozen or not, the department has not purchased the defibrillators.
Officers are regularly dispatched with Mishawaka Fire Department personnel on medical calls, said Sgt. Steven Headley, the police department’s public information officer. Calls designated as "man/woman down” could be due to a cardiac event, he said.
Officers already out on patrol can sometimes arrive before paramedics do, in which case they assess the situation and move forward while also communicating with dispatch, he said. The information gathered at the scene is also communicated to responding MFD units, Headley said.
Every officer is CPR/AED-certified, Headley said. In the event of cardiac arrest, officers will use CPR immediately after finding the need and use an AED if there’s a need as well, he said.
According to the American Heart Association, nine out of 10 cardiac arrest victims who receive a shock from an AED in the first minute survive and immediate use of CPR and of an AED can double, even triple survival rates.
“By having AEDs in some of our patrol cars, this can only be a net positive for the community,” Headley said.