EAST BATON ROUGE - East Baton Rouge Parish is seeking $125 million in federal funding to help reduce crime.

During a specially called Metro Council meeting, council members approved a grant proposal to be sent to the U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday, September 1, as part of the agency's "Model City Initiative."

The initiative has $300 million available to be split among no more than four cities nationwide, making it a competitive process.

Christopher Csonka, executive director of EBR's Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, or CJCC, worked with more than a dozen law enforcement agencies, elected officials, and nonprofits to put the proposal together.

"All the different groups. All of them filled out a needs-gap assessment. They told us what the problem was, what they think can fix it, and how much it will cost. So we took all that information and put it together and aligned it with the goals of the grant," Csonka said.

If awarded, the funds would go toward behavioral health programs, substance abuse services and youth crime diversion programs, as well as law enforcement agencies and the District Attorney's Office, among other programs.

"Crime isn't solved just by policing. Crime isn't solved just by intervention or providing services. It's a combination of all of those things," Csonka said.

The CJCC says Baton Rouge's crime rates consistently exceed the national average. According to Baton Rouge Police data, there were 49 homicides as of Aug. 25, which is down slightly compared to the same point last year.

"We need as many resources as possible to combat the crime issue we're having across our parish. It's not just about policing or throwing people in jail," Csonka said.

Csonka said Baker, Central, Zachary, and St. George joined Baton Rouge in the initiative. Leaders expect to learn by the end of the year whether Baton Rouge will receive funding.