Three West Valley cities received a combined $4.849 million in federal Justice Department grants for police equipment, according to awards announced Thursday, Oct. 1.
Peoria received $2.85 million, Surprise received $999,000 and Glendale received $1 million. Together, the three awards account for about one-third of the $14.85 million announced for 16 Arizona cities and organizations.
A separate Office of Justice Programs project list identifies the intended uses: a police helicopter for Peoria, police cruisers for Surprise and police radio equipment upgrades for Glendale.
What each city’s grant would fund
Peoria: $2.85 million for a police helicopter. Peoria’s award is the largest single Arizona grant in the Justice Department’s Oct. 1 announcement. The federal project list describes the proposal simply as “Police Helicopter,” without identifying an aircraft model, vendor, delivery schedule or expected operating costs.
Surprise: $999,000 for police cruisers. The project list does not state how many vehicles are planned, what models the city would acquire or when they would enter service.
Glendale: $1 million for police radio equipment upgrades. The federal record does not specify which parts of the city’s radio system would be replaced or upgraded.
The awards were made through the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s fiscal 2026 Byrne Discretionary Community Project Grants program. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for Arizona said the program supports projects that improve criminal justice systems, address juvenile delinquency and assist crime victims.
The federal project list identifies Rep. Abe Hamadeh as the congressional sponsor for the three West Valley projects.
Award does not mean equipment is already in service
The Oct. 1 announcement establishes the federal award amounts, but it does not show that any helicopter, cruisers or radio equipment has been purchased or delivered. Equipment acquisitions can require a city to formally accept the grant, adjust its budget and complete procurement or contracting steps. A helicopter also can bring continuing costs for staffing, maintenance, fuel, insurance, storage and training that are separate from the initial purchase.
The available federal records do not provide those local implementation details. West Valley Post will update this story if the cities publish purchase contracts, schedules or council actions that clarify what the grants will buy and when the equipment could enter service.
Statewide context
The Justice Department’s Arizona announcement totaled $14,849,687. Other recipients include Coconino County, Pima County, Valley Metro Rail, Arizona State University and several smaller cities and nonprofit organizations.
The three West Valley awards total exactly $4,849,000, or 32.7% of the statewide amount. Their concentration in equipment projects also distinguishes them from some of the other Arizona grants, which include legal services, victim assistance and recovery programs.
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