Columbia, South Carolina --- United States Attorney Peter M. McCoy, Jr., announced today that the Department of Justice awarded thirteen police departments throughout South Carolina more than $8 million through the Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Program, which allows those agencies to hire 63 additional full-time law enforcement professionals.
“I am thrilled that so many of our deserving local South Carolina partners earned these sought-after funds to boost the most critical tool in any police department: its people," said U.S. Attorney Peter M. McCoy, Jr. “This will allow our sheriffs and police chiefs more officers to develop community partnerships, engage community leaders, and put other community policing features into place."
The COPS Hiring Program (CHP) is a competitive award program intended to reduce crime and advance public safety through community policing by providing direct funding for the hiring of career law enforcement officers. In addition to providing financial support for hiring, CHP provides funding to state, local, and tribal law enforcement to enhance local community policing strategies and tactics.
The following thirteen law enforcement agencies in South Carolina earned awards:
* Bluffton Police Department received $250,000, which includes the ability to hire 2 officers;
* Camden Police Department received $326,644, which includes the ability to hire 3 officers;
* Charleston County Sheriff’s Office received $1,250,000, which includes the ability to hire 10 officers;
* Chester County Sheriff's Office received $1,015,824, which includes the ability to hire 6 officers;
* Chester Police Department received $382,963, which includes the ability to hire 3 officers;
* Chesterfield County Sheriff's Office received $395,089, which includes the ability to hire 4 officers;
* Conway Police Department received, $250,000, which includes the ability to hire 2 officers;
* Greeleyville Police Department received $97,124, which includes the ability to hire 1 officer;
* Hampton County Sheriff's Office received $367,989, which includes the ability to hire 3 officers;
* Hardeeville Police Department received $250,000, which includes the ability to hire 2 officers;
* Horry County Police Department received $1,875,000, which includes the ability to hire 15 officers;
* Myrtle Beach Police Department received $1,250,000, which includes the ability to hire 10 officers; and
* Spartanburg Police Department received $351,762, which includes the ability to hire 2 officers.
As recently announced by the U.S. Attorney General, across the country the Department awarded 596 law enforcement agencies more than $400 million, which allows those agencies to hire 2,732 additional full-time law enforcement professionals.
“The Department of Justice is committed to providing the police chiefs and sheriffs of our great nation with needed resources, tools, and support. The funding announced today will bolster their ranks and contribute to expanding community policing efforts nationwide," said U.S. Attorney General William P. Barr. “A law enforcement agency’s most valuable assets are the men and women who put their lives on the line every day in the name of protecting and serving their communities."
In a changing economic climate, CHP funding helps law enforcement agencies maintain sufficient sworn personnel levels to promote safe communities. Funding through this program had been on hold since the spring of 2018 due to a nationwide injunction that was lifted earlier this year.
CHP applicants were required to identify a specific crime and disorder problem focus area and explain how the funding will be used to implement community policing approaches to that problem focus area. 43 percent of the awards announced today will focus on violent crime, while the remainder of the awards will focus on a variety of issues including school-based policing to fund school resource officer positions, building trust and respect, and opioid education, prevention, and intervention. The COPS Office received nearly 1,100 applications requesting more than 4,000 law enforcement positions.
To learn more about CHP, please visit https://cops.usdoj.gov/chp. For additional information about the COPS Office, please visit www.cops.usdoj.gov. ##
The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
