Houston Police approved to apply for three federal grants

Houston City Council unanimously approved a handful of public safety grant applications that include funding for cold case investigations, law enforcement overtime spending and drone detection capabilities. 

What this means

The Houston Police Department will apply for federal funding through the Prosecuting Cold Cases Using DNA Program to support specialized DNA testing and forensic genetic genealogy, according to the agenda item.

This will be the city’s fourth time applying for this grant, which previously helped solve 16 cold cases, city officials said. The grant is for $750,000. 

The city is also jointly applying with Harris County for nearly $3 million through the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant for overtime spending, equipment, technology and training. The city recently announced that it had spent over $6 million in overtime for the police department.

If the grant is awarded, HPD and the sheriff’s office would receive approximately $1.48 million each.

The final application is for funding to help law enforcement detect, track and mitigate unauthorized drones, especially during major events. 

Also of note

The city is submitting the grant applications through HPD, and if the applications are approved, the grant periods will end in 2029.