Today, Rep. Pete Aguilar announced that the Department of Justice awarded over one million dollars to the County of San Bernardino to invest in public safety initiatives. The funds were dispersed in two different allotments—the first is for $478,327 and will go to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Crime Laboratory to help increase efficiency in the unit and reduce the backlog of DNA cases. The second grant is for $582,145 and will assist the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program (JAG), which will allow the county to invest in a wide array of necessary resources including equipment, police vehicles and to hire additional officers.

“Investing in public safety is critical for the Inland Empire community,” said Rep. Aguilar. He added, “We need to make sure that our police departments have the resources and tools they need to do their jobs safely and efficiently at every level.”

“These funds will allow the laboratory to obtain much needed robotic equipment that will be used to increase the number of DNA cases analyzed and reduce the backlog of cases awaiting analysis,” stated Sheriff John McMahon. 

Rep. Aguilar serves California’s 31^st Congressional District. He sits on the House Armed Services and Agriculture Committees. Prior to serving in Congress he was the Mayor of Redlands, where he resides today with his wife Alisha and two sons.