Feds Announce $119 Million in Grants to Help State and Local Police Agencies

Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch today announced $119 million in grant funding through the Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) COPS Hiring Program (CHP).  The Attorney General announced funding awards to 184 law enforcement agencies across the nation, aimed at creating, or in some cases protecting, more than 900 law enforcement positions. The Attorney General made today’s announcement in Dallas, where the Dallas Police Department will receive $3.1 million through the COPS Hiring Program to hire 25 officers.

CHP provides funding directly to state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies for the hiring and rehiring of entry-level career law enforcement officers in an effort to create and preserve jobs and increase community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts.  All CHP applicants were asked to identify a specific crime and disorder problem area and how funding would be used to initiate or enhance their capacity to implement community policing approaches to that problem area.

In 2016, the COPS Office gave additional consideration to applicant agencies selecting the category of “Building Trust,” based on the final report of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing.  Additional consideration was also given to agencies that selected the areas of school-based policing, homicide or violent crime, and homeland security.  Applicants who committed to hiring or rehiring at least one military veteran under CHP also received additional consideration for funding.  The complete list of award recipients can be found here: http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/default.asp?Item=2888.

The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1995, COPS has invested over $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 129,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training, and technical assistance.

Of the grant recipients, 62 plan to put the money they were awarded toward positions focused on “community engagement,” according to a list the Justice Department issued Monday.

Another 34 agencies plan to use the money for school resource officer programs.

Some of the other grant-supported positions are set to concentrate on gun violence prevention, improving law enforcement transparency and police department diversification efforts.