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East Baton Rouge Parish will receive $63.5 million — reported locally as nearly $64 million — in federal funding over the next three years, Attorney General Todd Blanche announced on Wednesday afternoon, November 4, in Baton Rouge, alongside Governor Jeff Landry, Senator Bill Cassidy and Louisiana officials. The money is to bolster law enforcement, expand prosecutorial capacity and combat violent crime in the parish.
The funding comes through the Justice Department's Model Cities Initiative, announced in June 2026. Baton Rouge is one of four jurisdictions selected on October 30 to share nearly $300 million, alongside Jacksonville, Florida; Jackson, Mississippi; and St. Louis, Missouri. The Justice Department says the money can support hiring and retaining law enforcement and prosecution personnel, forensic capabilities, crime-fighting technology, and services addressing mental health, substance use and repeat offending.
Baton Rouge officials have said the parish will use its share to help address a shortage of police officers — reported at roughly 150 officers — after historic pay raises that lifted starting salaries from $40,000 to $58,000. The parish coroner's office reported 86 homicides in East Baton Rouge Parish as of October 26. City officials said they plan to begin implementing the grant in early January, and the Justice Department will work with each selected jurisdiction to finalise its public safety plan.
The contrast with two other cities is part of the story. New Orleans decided on August 31 not to apply for the Model Cities grant. Deputy Mayor of Public Safety Michael Harrison said the city had taken a serious look at the initiative but that too many significant questions and legal issues remained unresolved, with insufficient time before the September 1 application deadline to complete the necessary legal review. The city's concerns included the federal oversight structure and the requirement to align with Trump administration priorities, including on immigration enforcement.
Houston, by contrast, submitted an application — reported at $150 million — that Mayor John Whitmire later withdrew. Whitmire said staff had prematurely submitted it before the required council approval was secured and that, given that error and a lack of clarification on the programme's guidelines, the city was withdrawing its application and would not pursue the grant. Council members and critics had raised concerns that accepting the money could require closer cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, including direct participation in immigration operations.
The programme's conditions explain that divide. Applicants had to certify compliance with federal provisions barring local governments from restricting the sharing of citizenship and immigration status information, and to show their initiatives aligned with Justice Department priorities, including directly supporting law enforcement operations such as immigration enforcement operations. The department said it would not fund any programme or activity that violates federal immigration laws or hinders their enforcement.
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