WASHINGTON, DC- This week the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) announced nearly $124 million in funding awards across the nation. These awards are aimed at creating, and in some cases protecting, local law enforcement positions.
In the Southern District of Mississippi, this year’s grantees are the Canton Police Department which received an award of $127,191, and the Gulfport Police Department which was awarded $494,768.
“The COP grants awarded to Gulfport and Canton demonstrate the Department of Justice’s commitment to the efforts of local law enforcement in the Southern District of Mississippi," said U. S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis. “This program is specifically designed to advance public safety through the implementation of community policing strategies to reduce crime in our neighborhoods."
“The COPS Office is pleased to assist local law enforcement agencies throughout the country in addressing their most critical public safety issues," said Ronald L. Davis, Director of the COPS Office. “Funding from this year’s program will allow many cities and counties to apply new sworn personnel to issues related to violent crime, property crime, and school safety."
The COPS Hiring Program offers grants to state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to hire or rehire community policing officers. The program provides salaries and benefits for officer and deputy hires for three years.
Grantees for the 2014 hiring program were selected based on their fiscal needs, local crime rates, and community policing plans.
The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1995, COPS has awarded 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 125,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training, and technical assistance.
For the entire list of grantees and additional information about the 2014 COPS Hiring Program, visit the COPS website at www.cops.usdoj.gov.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
