Miller applauds DHS grant awards for Michigan counties

U.S. Rep. Candice Miller (R-MI) applauded the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Wednesday for its intentions to award Operation Stonegarden grants to Macomb, St. Clair and Sanilac counties.

The awards include port security grants for Macomb County, the St. Clair Sheriff’s Department and the city of Algonac Fire Department to enhance security coordination.

Operation Stonegarden provides funding to enhance cooperation and coordination among local, tribal, territorial, state and federal law enforcement agencies in a joint mission to secure the land and water borders of the U.S.

“The first and foremost responsibility of the federal government as written in the preamble of the Constitution is to provide for the common defense of this nation and its citizens,” Miller said. “Therefore, it is critical that the Department of Homeland Security work with and support our local law enforcement agencies, especially those along our borders. These grants help improve interagency coordination and create a force multiplier for our agencies tasked with keeping our borders safe. I am extremely pleased with today’s announcement and believe that these new funds will go a long way in securing our northern border, which gets more hits on the Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment (TIDE) list than the southern border.”

FY2016 awards include $419,598 for Macomb County, $110,551 for the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department and $118,101 for the city of Algonac Fire Department.