WELL-FUNDED: A REORIENTATION OF PUBLIC SAFETY GRANTS FOR A SAFER HOMELAND
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Authors
Fields, Richard IV
Subjects
oversight
transparency
grants
funding
spending
inadequate
practices
guidance
wisdom
crowd
transparency
grants
funding
spending
inadequate
practices
guidance
wisdom
crowd
Advisors
Wollman, Lauren
Brown, Shannon A.
Date of Issue
2022-03
Date
Publisher
Monterey, CA; Naval Postgraduate School
Language
Abstract
Extraneous and even misused equipment amassed by local first response agencies has been made possible through federal grants and resources with little oversight and insufficient governing mechanisms. Acquisitions, particularly of tactical gear, have far outpaced the development of best practices and guidance for proper use of such government resources. The relative ease in purchasing these items has led to far-reaching implications for public safety leadership and the public, particularly police militarization. This thesis examines how gaps in oversight, transparency, and performance measurement in the delivery of federal grants and resources to public safety organizations have contributed to unintended uses. It analyzes original grant language, available case studies of grant misuse, and academic research, as well as peer-reviewed documents and scholarly commentary to understand the multi-level political strategies that grants-in-aid facilitate. This thesis ultimately recommends that communities should determine how public safety is serving them in ways that matter to them. This measure is vital if the grant system is to see any real regulation, structure, and oversight. This thesis finds that greater public engagement throughout the grant and acquisition process adds the missing layer of accountability at the local level—weighing in on, authorizing, and defining the parameters of use and informing future grant awards and allocations.
Type
Thesis
Description
Series/Report No
Department
National Security Affairs (CHDS)
Organization
Identifiers
NPS Report Number
Sponsors
Funding
Format
Citation
Distribution Statement
Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.
Rights
Copyright is reserved by the copyright owner.