Grants Of $20.5 Million Will Hire Officers To Protect Schools
The Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) has announced grants totaling $20.5 million to allow 120 law enforcement agencies in 36 states to hire 180 additional officers and deputies to protect the nation’s schools.
The grants are being awarded under the COPS In Schools program, which provides a maximum of $125,000, over a three-year period, to cover the salary and benefits of new school resource officers assigned to protect schools. COPS also provides school safety training for the officer and an administrator from the school where the officer will be assigned.
To support the Administration’s priority of advancing homeland security, COPS has enhanced the training associated with these grants by incorporating instruction on terrorism prevention, emergency response, and the critical role of schools in community preparedness and disaster recovery.
“The funds will enable law enforcement agencies to provide a heightened level of safety in the schools in which officers are assigned, and will go a long way toward ensuring that schools are fully incorporated into local emergency response plans,” said COPS Director Carl R. Peed.
Including today’s grants, the COPS In Schools program has provided more than $715 million to nearly 2,600 state and local law enforcement agencies to hire and train over 6,000 school resource officers. For detailed information on which agencies in your region received grants, click here.
