...and the only other city of the first class, that is above 250k, is Newark. So not much competition. Moreover, cities of the second class such as Camden, Patterson, and Trenton are almost unlivable. Lafayette, where I live now, has, alas, seemed to have frayed a bit in the last year or two with more crime, more little, more unruly groups, a bar that the city allows to continue operating despite generating shootings.....

As 2 shootings happen pretty much around the corner from me and a couple blocks up.....

Patrick Villanova | The Jersey Journal

The Jersey City Police Department has been awarded a $750,000 federal grant that will help bolster its fight against gang violence on city streets.

Jersey City was one of three New Jersey law enforcement agencies that received the funding through the U.S. Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) for the purpose of combating gang violence and/or heroin distribution.

While Jersey City received the largest of the three COPS Anti-Gang Violence Initiative grants, the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety will also receive $659,916 and the Essex County Prosecutor's Office was awarded $594,023.

"Jersey City is becoming the safest big city in the state," said Mayor Steve Fulop. "And this funding will help us keep it that way. It will allow our police department to deploy additional street-crime and investigative personnel in target areas. And we couldn't be more grateful to all who helped secure this grant, especially Senators Menendez and Booker and Congressmen Sires and Payne."

The state Department of Law and Public Safety also received a COPS Anti-Heroin Task Force Program grant worth $103,227.

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