U.S. Department Of Justice Awards Law Enforcement Hiring Grants To Help Build Trust, Reduce Violence And Protect School

United States Attorney General Loretta Lynch and United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger today announced Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) funding awards to five cities and counties in the District of Minnesota, aimed at creating, and in some cases protecting, 23 law enforcement positions. Over $107 million will be awarded nationally, through the COPS Hiring Program (CHP), including $2,875,000 in the District of Minnesota.

The list of this year’s grantees includes: The City of Aitkin, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Department, the Mille Lacs County Sheriff’s Department, St. Cloud Police Department, and the City of St. Paul.

“Working with our local law enforcement partners on a wide array of cases is critical to upholding justice in Minnesota,” said U.S. Attorney Luger. “COPS grants to grow local police and sheriff’s departments are an important resource from the federal government to benefit local cities and counties. I am gratified that our local partners are benefitting from this investment in our communities.”

“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. “These grants are not simply about putting more officers on the street, they are about expanding the capacity of law enforcement agencies to engage in community policing.”

CHP provides 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.

Priority consideration was given this year to agencies that selected any of the Building Trust focus areas or School Based Policing through School Resource Officers. All applicants were encouraged to refer to the report of the President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing for suggested actions to incorporate into their proposed community policing strategy.

The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1995, COPS has invested 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 127,000 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 2015 COPS Hiring Program, visit the COPS website at www.cops.usdoj.gov.

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United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600