Four US cities win Trump's crime crackdown contest and will split nearly $300 million

Four US cities will share nearly $300 million in federal funding. They won a competition by showing how they would reduce violent crime and strengthen local law enforcement.

The four selected cities are Jacksonville in Florida, Baton Rouge in Louisiana, Jackson in Mississippi and St Louis in Missouri. The funding will be given under the Justice Department's new Model Cities Initiative.

The Justice Department launched the competition in June as part of President Donald Trump's focus on reducing crime in US cities. Cities nationwide were invited to submit comprehensive plans for reducing violent crime and improving public safety.

Attorney General Todd Blanche and other Justice Department leaders will visit each city over the next 10 days to present the awards. The department plans to reveal the individual funding amounts during those visits.

Blanche said: 'The Model Cities Initiative reflects the Trump Administration's commitment to reducing crime across the country and ensuring the safety of every American. These cities are setting an example of proactive law enforcement that will strengthen the rule of law and improve public safety in their jurisdictions.'

Rather than funding a single programme, the initiative takes a 'whole-of-city' approach, the Justice Department said. Law enforcement, local government officials and community partners will work together to develop strategies tailored to each jurisdiction's challenges.

The money can be used to hire sworn and non-sworn law enforcement personnel and other public safety workers, purchase technology and equipment, expand forensic capabilities and fund programmes addressing mental health, substance abuse and recidivism.

Jacksonville was selected after a sharp drop in killings. According to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, the city recorded 59 murders in 2024, its lowest total since at least 1995 and less than half the number a year earlier. The Justice Department said murders fell 38 percent between 2023 and 2025, while robberies declined 25 percent and aggravated assaults fell 21 percent. The Sheriff's Office has more than 3,600 police, corrections and civilian employees and an annual budget of roughly $674 million.

St Louis had a different picture. The city recorded 263 homicides in 2020, but that fell to 150 in 2024, its lowest total since 2013, as overall crime declined 15 percent year over year. In the first three months of 2025, homicides fell another 45 percent compared with the same period a year earlier. The Justice Department said St Louis' proposal calls for expanding law enforcement personnel by more than 300, modernising policing technology and strengthening public safety operations. The city's police department budget in fiscal 2026 was about $147 million.

Baton Rouge's challenge is manpower. The Baton Rouge Police Department was roughly 150 officers short earlier this year. Officials then approved what they described as the largest police pay raise in department history, in an effort to recruit and retain officers. Starting salaries rose from $40,000 to $58,000. The department also operates a Real Time Crime Center that uses data analytics and other technology to support officers and investigators.

Jackson in Mississippi was selected for an ambitious, technology-driven strategy to address persistent violent crime. The Jackson Police Department already operates a Real Time Command Center and specialised units focused on gun crime, vice and narcotics and other investigations, while assigning officers to outside task forces. Its proposal calls for greater coordination among agencies, expanded investigative capabilities and targeted enforcement, according to the Justice Department.

Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr. said: 'President Trump and this Department of Justice have demonstrated that Americans need not accept unsafe streets as a fact of life. We have made tremendous strides in restoring public safety, and the Model Cities Initiative offers an opportunity to build on that progress.'

The four winning jurisdictions will now work with the Justice Department to finalise and implement their public safety plans.