SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – At least 30 cities and counties, including North Chicago, have applied for important grants from the state that are designed to solve firearm crimes and reduce gun violence in communities, thanks to the work of state Rep. Rita Mayfield, D-Waukegan.
“These ballistics detection grants are being used by urban communities to scan fired bullet cartridges at the scene of a crime, and this scanning technology is often critical to catching assailants,” said Mayfield, who won a “Violence Prevention Hero” award in 2024 for her work. “These grants have allowed police, sheriffs, and state’s attorneys to more quickly gather key evidence and determine the type of weapon, the number of shooters, and other key information, such as whether a particular firearm is a ‘multiple use’ gun that has been used in different gun crimes that law enforcement may have not otherwise known were connected.”
Mayfield, who chairs the House Appropriations-Public Safety and Infrastructure Committee, worked to provide $2 million in the state’s budget for these grants. Mayfield started the program three years ago by directing funding through the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board. The funding was intended to not only support the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, but to also explore the best and most cost-effective ballistic technologies and to encourage the sharing of gun crime intelligence amongst law enforcement in order to reduce gun crime in the state of Illinois.
Kankakee County State’s Attorney Jim Rowe praised the program.
“We believe that proactive intervention is crucial in addressing the issue of gun violence,” Rowe said. “Our goal is to empower law enforcement agencies with the tools they need to solve gun crime cases faster, ultimately saving lives and making our communities safer.”
“I urge all communities to apply for this important grant program. I hope the program can
continue past June 30,” Mayfield said.
Information on how to apply is available at https://www.ptb.illinois.gov/resources/grant-information/