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DENVER (AP) - Grants to Colorado from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security are down this year partly because officials consider the state a less-likely terrorist target than some other areas.
Overall the state was awarded $36.7 million this year, 27 percent less than last year and 41 percent less than 2003 when the department was formed.
Grants to states that are based on population density dropped from $34.5 million in 2003 to $17.8 million this year after Congress cut the program by 30 percent.
Gov. Bill Owens, who is responsible for distributing the state grant and who lawmakers recently criticized for how the money has been spent, said Wednesday that $13 million will be spent on a long-unfinished statewide radio system.
The system would allow emergency responders, such as fire and police departments, across Colorado to talk each other on their radios. The system would prevent the type of communication problems reported by the various police and sheriff's departments that responded to the 1999 Columbine High School shootings, where 12 students, a teacher and the two teenage gunmen died.
Denver received $8.7 million from the Urban Area Security Initiative program this year, up slightly from last year's $8.6 million, but down from 2003's $15.6 million.
Four smaller programs provided $10.2 million this year to Colorado for law enforcement agencies' terrorism prevention, citizen volunteerism, state and local emergency management and medical response.
The reduction reflects the government's effort to channel money to cities and states where officials think terrorists are most likely to strike, said Marc Short, Homeland Security Department spokesman.
"We as a department have become more sophisticated at identifying risk," Short said. "So the funds have been distributed and targeted to those areas at greatest risk."
Overall the state was awarded $36.7 million this year, 27 percent less than last year and 41 percent less than 2003 when the department was formed.
Grants to states that are based on population density dropped from $34.5 million in 2003 to $17.8 million this year after Congress cut the program by 30 percent.
Gov. Bill Owens, who is responsible for distributing the state grant and who lawmakers recently criticized for how the money has been spent, said Wednesday that $13 million will be spent on a long-unfinished statewide radio system.
The system would allow emergency responders, such as fire and police departments, across Colorado to talk each other on their radios. The system would prevent the type of communication problems reported by the various police and sheriff's departments that responded to the 1999 Columbine High School shootings, where 12 students, a teacher and the two teenage gunmen died.
Denver received $8.7 million from the Urban Area Security Initiative program this year, up slightly from last year's $8.6 million, but down from 2003's $15.6 million.
Four smaller programs provided $10.2 million this year to Colorado for law enforcement agencies' terrorism prevention, citizen volunteerism, state and local emergency management and medical response.
The reduction reflects the government's effort to channel money to cities and states where officials think terrorists are most likely to strike, said Marc Short, Homeland Security Department spokesman.
"We as a department have become more sophisticated at identifying risk," Short said. "So the funds have been distributed and targeted to those areas at greatest risk."
