The U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) announced more than $243 million in grants awarded nationwide to 238 law enforcement agencies and municipalities for the hiring of new peace officers. The grants include funding for 28 Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department was awarded $8,535,000 in funding for 25 deputies over a 3 year period, with the fourth year funded by the county. The funds would be used for 25 deputies in unincorporated communities to address burglaries and assaults, and quality of life issues such as graffiti vandalism, substance abuse, and traffic issues. The grant requires approval by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
Additionally, two cities who contract with the Sheriff’s Department for policing services were also awarded grants:
The City of Maywood was awarded $428,788 for one deputy over three years, with the fourth year funded by the city. The deputy will be dedicated to policing in Maywood.
The City of Norwalk was awarded $810,950 for two deputies over three years, with the fourth year funded by the city. The deputies will be dedicated to policing in Norwalk.
“The funding for these deputies comes at the right time. It will help our strong community policing efforts by hard working deputies in partnership with the community,” said Sheriff Lee Baca. “We appreciate the confidence shown in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department by the COPS Office.
The awards were made through the COPS Hiring Program, a competitive grant program that provides funding directly to state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to hire police officers dedicated to addressing specific crime and disorder challenges confronting communities. The grants provide 100 percent funding for the entry-level salaries and benefits of newly-hired, or rehired, full-time officer positions over a three-year period.
For the 2011 COPS Hiring Program, 2,712 applications were received requesting more than $2 billion and 8,999 positions. Funding decisions were based on an agency’s commitment to community policing, crime rates, changes in law enforcement budgets, and other local fiscal data (poverty, unemployment, foreclosure rates, etc.).
“Cities across the country are dealing with numerous challenges and we are pleased to be able to assist their public safety efforts,” said COPS Director Bernard Melekian. “Creating and maintaining jobs is a key part of this program. This funding helps support local departments in their efforts to increase their ranks, enhance their relationship with the community and directly address their public safety concerns.”
The 2011 COPS Hiring Program awards will create or help preserve 1,021 sworn law enforcement positions. The jobs created, preserved or refilled with COPS Hiring Program funds will advance community policing at the local level and contribute greatly to the quality of life of the citizens in each community.
The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1995, COPS has awarded over $13 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 120,000 officers and to provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training, technical assistance, conferences, and webcasts.
For additional information about the COPS Hiring Program, and to view a list of municipalities that received grants, visit the COPS website at:
http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/2011AwardDocs/CSPP-SOS-CHP/2011CHProgramAwardList.pdf
http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/Default.asp?Item=2600
If you have any information about criminal activity, contact your local sheriff’s or police station. Or if you wish to remain Anonymous, call “LA Crime Stoppers” by dialing 800-222-TIPS (8477), texting the letters TIPLA plus your tip to CRIMES (274637), or using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org