Justice Department Awards Nearly $400 Million for Law Enforcement Hiring to Advance Community Policing

Anchorage, Alaska – U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder announced that $2,100,474 in grant funding has been awarded to multiple law enforcement agencies in Alaska, which allows those agencies to hire a combined total of 19 law enforcement professionals to help keep our communities safe.

This is part of the Department of Justice’s announcement in awarding nearly $400 million in grant funding through the Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) COPS Hiring Program (CHP).  The Attorney General announced funding awards to 596 law enforcement agencies across the nation, which allows those agencies to hire 2,732 additional full-time law enforcement professionals.  The awards announced today are inclusive of the $51 million announced in May as part of Operation Relentless Pursuit.  A complete list of the Alaska awards is below:

“It’s paramount that our local and tribal law enforcement partners have the right resources to keep our Alaska communities safe,” said U.S. Attorney Schroder.  “Not only will these additional resources help expand community policing efforts throughout the state, but also will help address the public safety crisis in rural Alaska.”   

The COPS Hiring Program 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.  In addition to providing financial support for hiring, CHP provides funding to state, local, and tribal law enforcement to enhance local community policing strategies and tactics.  In a changing economic climate, CHP funding helps law enforcement agencies maintain sufficient sworn personnel levels to promote safe communities.  Funding through this program had been on hold since the spring of 2018 due to a nationwide injunction that was lifted earlier this year.

CHP applicants were required to identify a specific crime and disorder problem focus area and explain how the funding will be used to implement community policing approaches to that problem focus area.  43 percent of the awards announced today will focus on violent crime, while the remainder of the awards will focus on a variety of issues including school-based policing to fund school resource officer positions, building trust and respect, and opioid education, prevention, and intervention.  The COPS Office received nearly 1,100 applications requesting more than 4,000 law enforcement positions. 

The complete list of awards can be found here.  To learn more about CHP, please visit https://cops.usdoj.gov/chp.  For additional information about the COPS Office, please visit www.cops.usdoj.gov.