Tucson residents will see new police patrol cars and motorcycles after the City Council voted unanimously on Wednesday to accept a $4.2 million federal grant from the Department of Justice’s Community Oriented Policing Services Technology and Equipment Program (COPSTEP). According to azluminaria.org, the grant will also fund the police department’s Place Network Investigations program, which targets areas with high numbers of shootings and deploys additional officers to address both criminal activity and building‑code violations.
The award letter outlines several conditions for the grant, including the requirement that Tucson allow information sharing about citizenship and immigration status, refrain from operating any diversity, equity and inclusion programs, and comply with presidential executive orders. City Attorney Roi Lusk told council members that those conditions are not binding because a federal judge recently ruled the government cannot tie immigration‑enforcement demands to certain public‑safety grants. “Those conditions don’t apply as part of our acceptance,” Lusk said, adding that the city would need to prove a case to obtain a federal injunction.
During the meeting, public comment was initially placed on the consent agenda, but Vice Mayor Lane Santa Cruz asked council members to pull the item for discussion. Community member Asa Ramsey voiced concern that the conditions could affect immigrant families, stating, “We are in an environment that has been devastatingly hostile to many people in our community.” Ramsey urged the council to consider strategic community investments instead of funding tied to immigration enforcement.
Despite the concerns, council members proceeded with a unanimous vote to accept the funding. The grant was secured through member‑directed funds, a process in which city leaders pitch desired projects to Arizona congressional representatives. Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani supported the funding request, though the latest election results indicate he is likely to lose his seat to Democrat JoAnna Mendoza.
City Attorney Lusk noted that the Trump administration previously provided hundreds of millions of dollars and dozens of grants to Tucson with similar conditions, including affordable‑housing initiatives. He also mentioned that the city is currently involved in four separate federal lawsuits challenging comparable grant conditions.
What’s next: The Tucson Police Department will begin procurement of the new patrol vehicles and motorcycles in the coming weeks, while the Place Network Investigations program will be expanded to identified high‑risk neighborhoods. Council members said they will continue monitoring the legal landscape surrounding federal grant conditions and will keep the public informed of any further developments.
Sources: azluminaria.org, azluminaria.org
