Trump Administration Allocates Over $70Mln in Grants for School Safety - Justice Dept.

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd October, 2018) The Trump administration has allocated more than $70 million in grants to improve school security by preparing students and helping police officers in case of a shooting incident, the US Department of Justice said in a press release on Tuesday.

"The Department of Justice today announced more than $70 million in grant funding to bolster school security, educate and train students and faculty and support law enforcement officers and first responders who arrive on the scene of a school violence incident," the release said.

The Justice Department has provided more than $64 million to various US states to upgrade their criminal record systems, which would contribute to the quality of background checks, the release added.

The awards were announced by US Attorney General Jeff Sessions and authorized by the STOP School Violence Act, which was signed into law by President Donald Trump earlier this year.

Sessions stressed the grants would bring peace to families in the wake of school shootings in the United States.

The US attorney general also said the Justice Department will also make investments in research projects to find out key factors leading to gun violence in schools.