Obama DOJ in $2.5 Million Sandy Hook Payout
Under the plan administered by Attorney General
Eric Holder and the Department of Justice, the Connecticut State Police
are slated to collect $663,444, the Town of Newtown will take in
$602,293, the Town of Monroe will receive $602,293 and more than two
dozen other agencies from the surrounding area will get $296,836. The
funds originate from the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Edward Byrne
Justice Assistance Grant Program.
Aside from bureaucratic boilerplate there is no
immediate explanation as to why the federal government would make such a
substantial disbursement to agencies partaking in the incident.
“Providing support to the law enforcement agencies that responded to the
horrific scene that awaited them at Sandy Hook Elementary School is one
small action we can take to bring healing to a community that’s been
devastated,” Attorney General Holder remarked in a press release. “Just
over eight months after this senseless tragedy, those who lost their
lives, and those who continue to grieve, remain in our thoughts and
prayers.”[1]
On November 27, less than three weeks before the
Sandy Hook massacre, Attorney General Holder appeared at a news
conference in New Haven, Connecticut alongside Connecticut Governor Dan
Malloy to announce Project Longevity, a joint venture by the Justice
Department and State of Connecticut. The endeavor was described by one
law enforcement officials as “a statewide approach that targets repeat
criminals, creates alternatives for potential gang members and rallies
neighborhoods against violence.”[2]
On December 20 Holder made an unannounced visit to
Newtown to meet with State and local law enforcement and emergency
responders shortly after a meeting in Washington with Vice President Joe
Biden, presumably to discuss forthcoming attempts at gun control
legislation.[3]
Because there are so many inconsistencies and
missing information in the case where the findings have not been made
public, the large payout appears especially suspect. In August the Hartford Courant
conducted an investigation of overtime pay being generated by
Connecticut State police assigned to the Sandy Hook tragedy. Eight State
Police detectives received $139,000 in overtime pay for work on the
investigation since January 1, 2013. Almost half has gone to two
investigators claim to have put in over 500 hours of work beyond their
scheduled duties.[4]
Such extensive federal funding will likely draw out
the investigation for many more months— perhaps years—while keeping
relevant law enforcement officials very pleased in the interim.
[1]
Department of Justice, “Attorney General Eric Holder Announces $2.5
Million to Connecticut Law Enforcement For Costs Related to Sandy Hook
School Shootings” (Press Release) PDF, August 28, 2013.
[2] Dave Ingram, “Project Longevity: Justice Department, Connecticut State Officials Target Gun Violence,” Reuters/Huffington Post, November 27, 2012.
[3] Frederic J. Frommer, “Holder to Meet with First Responders in Newtown,” Associated Press/Hartford Courant, December 20, 2012.
[4] Dave Altimari, “Overtime for Sandy Hook Investigators Nears $140,000 Since Jan. 1,” Hartford Courant, August 16, 2013.
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