In the News

U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright on Thursday announced $6 million in Community Project Funding that will support law enforcement and first responders in Luzerne and Lackawanna counties.

The money was authorized for release by the the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP).

It includes $2.5 million awarded to the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office for creation of a county-wide Emergency Services Unit (ESU), and $3.5 million, awarded to the City of Scranton and Scranton Police Department for law enforcement training program and technology upgrades, according to a release issued on behalf of Cartwright, D-Moosic.

As previously reported by the Times Leader, the new unit would provide law enforcement resources that are typically available only through state police or federal entities, including teams specializing in accident reconstruction and cell phone/electronic data analysis, Luzerne County District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce has said.

“This project for the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office supports a collaborative effort to create a county-wide unit of first responders from multiple jurisdictions to respond to emergency situations, handle complex investigations, and assist smaller departments with major cases,” Cartwright’s release stated.