New Jersey U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman Announces Hiring Grants For Law Enforcement And School Safety Officers

Funds Will Hire School Resource Officers and Fund Critical Law Enforcement Positions

NEWARK, N.J. – U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), today announced funding awards for the District of New Jersey.

The grantees and amount awarded include:

Recipient	Total Officers Awarded	Estimated Award Amount
5	$625,000
Bridgeton, City of	3	$375,000
Camden County Police Department	10	$2,262,950
Paterson, City of	10	$1,672,510
Westampton, Township of	1	$125,000

“In the wake of past tragedies, it's clear that we need to be willing to take all possible steps to ensure that our kids are safe when they go to school,” said Attorney General Eric Holder. “These critical investments represent the Justice Department’s latest effort to strengthen key law enforcement capabilities, and to provide communities with the resources they need to protect our young people. Especially in a time of increased challenges and limited budgets, our top priority must always be the safety and well-being of our children.”

Overall the COPS Office funded awards to 263 cities and counties, aimed at creating 937 law enforcement positions.  More than $125 million will be awarded nationally, including nearly $45 million to fund 356 new school resource officer positions.

“In a time of diminished resources, it is more important than ever that we do all we can to ensure public safety,” said U.S. Attorney Fishman.  “Local law enforcement often is required to hold the front line while taking the most painful cuts. I am pleased to join in announcing the Justice Department’s support of these departments and the admirable job their officers are doing to protect our communities.”

“The COPS Office is pleased to assist local law enforcement agencies throughout the country address their most critical public safety issues,” said Joshua Ederheimer, Acting Director of the COPS Office.  “Funding from this year’s program will allow many cities and counties to apply new sworn personnel to issues related to violent crime, property crime, and school safety.”

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.  There was an additional focus this year on agencies requesting assistance in developing school safety programs that would include the hiring of a school resource officer.  School resource officer positions funded by the COPS Office are sworn law enforcement positions that work within a school district or facility, interacting directly with school administrators and students.   

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.

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

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