Four US cities win the prize for Trump's new crime-fighting experiment; get nearly $300 million in funds — why were they chosen?

Four cities are expected to share in almost $300 million in federal money, having won a Justice Department contest that is geared toward decreasing violent offences in the United States. However, one thing that makes the announcement special is the varied problems that these cities have been facing, which range from police shortages to persistent violence and technology needs for investigations.

Jacksonville in Florida, Baton Rouge in Louisiana, Jackson in Mississippi, and St. Louis in Missouri have emerged winners of the Model Cities Initiative by the Trump administration, according to Fox News Digital.

The Department of Justice intends to disclose how much these cities will be getting during the visits made by Attorney General Todd Blanche and others in the next ten days.


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The grants were awarded after the Justice Department held a competition which began back in June and invited all cities eligible for the contest to submit plans on how to address violent crime and bolster their own law enforcement in order to fight it.

The almost $300 million program may provide the winners with substantial additional funding.

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At the moment, however, no details on the individual awards have been announced yet, thus remaining unclear how large each grant will be and what aspects of the public safety plan will receive priority funding.

According to Fox News Digital, the selected cities excelled in various ways, such as Jacksonville’s decreasing number of murders, Baton Rouge’s inability to recruit new police officers, and Jackson’s technology-focused policing approach.

Why these four cities made the final cut

The chosen departments are indicative of the wide array of public safety concerns, instead of a common concern faced by the agencies.

As per the report published in Fox News Digital, the selected departments included Jacksonville’s strengths in investigations and technology usage, St. Louis’ plans for increasing its police strength, Baton Rouge’s collaborations within the local government as well as community groups, and Jackson’s approach based on technology to tackle violent crime in the city.

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“Model Cities Initiative is reflective of the priority that the administration places on public safety and proactive law enforcement," said Attorney General Todd Blanche.

Such an approach is significant since the four cities do not have the same baseline.

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Jacksonville has experienced a drop in murders, whereas Baton Rouge has been having problems sustaining its police force. St. Louis has seen a notable decrease in its murders compared to 2020, while Jackson still struggles with violence issues.

The awards might assist the jurisdictions to improve from where they left off, yet the awards cannot be taken to mean that a certain strategy will work for them. It all depends on how the funds will be distributed and how successful the implementation of their plans will be.

Falling murders, staffing shortages and technology shape the plans

This designation is made in the wake of a sharp drop in the number of murders that have taken place. Per numbers provided by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office as reported on by Fox News Digital, there were 59 murders committed in Jacksonville in 2024, marking the fewest murders committed in the city annually since at least 1995.

Also, according to the Justice Department, there was a decrease from 2023 to 2025 in murder, robbery and aggravated assault cases.

The sheriff’s office of the city has over 3,600 employees, including officers, correctional personnel and civilians, with an annual budget of $674 million.

Another example is St. Louis. Fox News Digital cited reports that the city had recorded 263 murders in 2020, while in 2024, it had 150, making it the lowest rate since 2013. In its proposal, St. Louis suggests increasing law enforcement personnel by over 300.

The problem facing Baton Rouge is its staffing issues. Fox News Digital reports that the Baton Rouge Police Department had about 150 fewer officers earlier this year.

In response, the city increased starting salaries from $40,000 to $58,000. It also runs a Real Time Crime Center, using data and technology to assist officers and investigators.

On the other hand, the city of Jackson proposes investigating capacities and collaboration between law enforcement agencies. Its police force runs a Real Time Command Center and specific investigative units dealing with guns and narcotics, according to Fox News Digital.