The federal government is giving the St. Louis Police Department $68 million to fight crime. U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche joined national and state leaders in St. Louis Monday to award the “Model Cities Initiative” grant to the state, which oversees the police department.

“There’s more money now, so now to the extent that the police department had to make tough decisions when they have a budget and have to decide where to spend the money, there’s now an influx of $68 million over three years,” Blanche said. “So if there’s  structural changes they need to make, they now have more money to hire more officers but also make changes like that.”

Director Rob Cekada of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms announced one of the structural changes being made with the local police department.

“This will lay the foundation for the development of a real-time crime center, which will link up with ATF’s center…to help identify the people responsible for committing the most violent crimes in this city,” he said

The program gives the city – with one of the highest crime rates in the country-  three years to spend the money.

St. Louis City Police Chief Robert Tracy thanked the DOJ for their confidence in his department.

Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward, Jr. said, “We look forward to returning next year and the year after because with great power does come responsibility. There are only four cities getting this award, so we need your help. We need this to be a success.”

Missouri U.S. Senator Eric Schmitt, who pushed for the funding in Congress and with Attorney General Blanche,  was also at the press conference.

“For far too long, the good people of St. Louis have had to accept the scourge of violent crime,” he said. “But that ends and this is a big part of all of that.”