Doj Announces $40 Million In Grants To Hire Officers
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) has awarded $40.1 million in grants to 93 state and local law enforcement agencies in 29 states and Puerto Rico to hire 535 community policing officers.
The grants were awarded under COPS Universal Hiring Program, and provide 75% of the total salary and benefits of each new officer over three years, up to a maximum of $75,000 per officer. Including today’s grants, The Department of Justice, through the COPS office, has funded the hiring of over 118,000 officers by more than 13,000 law enforcement agencies since 1994.
In addition to providing funding to hire officers, COPS offers training and technical assistance resources that help state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies implement innovative and effective community policing strategies. Recent statistics indicate that 64 % of U.S. law enforcement agencies, serving 86% of the American population, engage in community policing.