The U.S. Department of Justice said it was awarding four cities federal funding to combat crime.
The cities—Jacksonville, Florida; East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana; Jackson, Mississippi; and St. Louis, Missouri—will split nearly $300 million as part of the DOJ’s Model Cities Initiative (MCI), a program geared toward reducing violent crime, restoring law and order, and strengthening public safety. Officials said the cities were chosen because of their innovative, comprehensive and locally-driven strategies to combat crime and enhance coordination between local law enforcement and their federal and state partners…