AMERICA—On Tuesday, June 2, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it would provide $393,954,911 in grants to 596 law enforcement agencies across the country.
$51 million of the funding was included in May’s Operation Relentless Pursuit.
The funds will be distributed via the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office). According to the official announcement, “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.”
2,732 more full-time officers will be hired using the grants. The CHP also funds the development of “community policing strategies and tactics.”
Close to 1,100 applications for funding were reportedly received; applicants needed to single out a “crime and disorder problem focus area” and clarify how the funding would be utilised. 43 percent of the awards will target violent crime, and the other 57 percent will cover an array of problems, including “building trust and respect.”
The New York City Police Department received the largest award: over $11.5 million. Exactly 100 officers can be hired with these funds. Neither the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) nor the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD) received any funding.
The announcement can be viewed here, and a breakdown of the fund distribution can be found here.
