The Department of Homeland Security announced more than $97 million in port security grants for the 2012 fiscal year, which pales in comparison with the $235 million in grants during the 2011 fiscal year, $288 million in 2010 and $388 million in 2009, according to an article from the Journal of Commerce.

The largest grants went to the Port of Los Angeles, $6.9 million; the New York City Police Department, $5.457 million; the Lower Mississippi River Port-Wide Strategic Security Council, $4.975 million; the Hawaii Department of Defense, $3.891 million; Long Beach Container Inc., $3.335 million; Port of Long Beach, $2.88 million; and PPG Industries in Lake Charles, La., $2.35 million, the Journal of Commerce reports.

As such, Long Beach and Los Angeles pulled quite a bit of funding this year, in addition to the DHS grants.

According to an article from the Long Beach Post, the Port of Long Beach's video-equipped submersibles and worker identification program, the Transportation Worker Identification Credential, have been decidedly advanced and well-received security initiatives that explain how the port has received over $100 million in security grants since 2001.

The article lists the grants awarded to Long Beach/Los Angeles County as:

  • $61,029,547 in Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) funding for the Long Beach/Los Angeles area, in which at least 25 percent of the funds are dedicated to law enforcement activities. The Urban Area Security Initiative assists high-density urban areas in building an enhanced and sustainable system to prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from acts of terrorism.
  • $16,426,431 in Port Security Grant Program funding for the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. This program supports a port’s ability to prevent, detect, respond, and recover from a terrorist attack through training and safety improvements. The Ports of Long Beach and the Ports of Long Beach are the busiest ports in the nation.
  • $1,050,000 Urban Security Initiative Nonprofit Security Grant Program funding.This will help to provide funding for security enhancements to nonprofit organizations that are at high risk of terrorist attack.

Statewide Grants

  • $43,503,883 in State Homeland Security Program (SHSP) funding for the state of California to implement a strategy to identify planning, organization, equipment, training, and exercise needs at the state and local levels to prevent, protect, respond, and recover from acts of terrorism and other catastrophic events.
  • $7,826,241 in Operation Stone Garden funding to the state of California to enhance cooperation among local, tribal, territorial, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to secure the United States’ border.
  • $26,853,993 Emergency Management Performance Grant Program funding to enable California to assist local, State, and tribal governments in develop all-hazards emergency preparedness plans and systems.

Native American and Tribal Grants

  • $1,357,717 to the state of California in Tribal Homeland Security Grant Program funding to assist tribes strengthen their resources against the risks associated with terrorist attacks.