Department Of Justice Awards 2013 Community Oriented Policing Hiring Grant To Roberta Police Department

MACON:  United States Attorney Michael J. Moore announced today that the U.S Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) has awarded a $95,783 Hiring Grant to Roberta Police Department.

The COPS Hiring Program offers grants to state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to hire or rehire community policing officers.  The program provides the salary and benefits for officer and deputy hires for three years.

Grantees for the 2013 hiring program were selected based on their fiscal needs, local crime rates, and their community policing plans.  Roberta Police Department was the only agency in the Middle District to be awarded a grant and one of only two in the entire state.

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.

“When we put more police officers on the street, everybody wins.  These grants help both rural communities with limited resources and metropolitan areas with high crime problems.  Community oriented policing is one way we can be proactive when it comes to law enforcement,” said US Attorney Michael Moore.

For the entire list of grantees and additional information about the 2013 COPS Hiring Program, visit the COPS website at www.cops.usdoj.gov.

Inquiries regarding the case should be directed to Sue McKinney, Public Affairs Specialist, United States Attorney's Office at (478) 621-2602.