U.S. Attorney Announces Hiring Grants For Jacksonville And Jonesboro Police Departments

LITTLE ROCK – U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Thyer, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), announced today funding awards for the Eastern District of Arkansas.

The amount awarded to grantees include: $118,975 to the Jacksonville Police Department and $500,000 to the Jonesboro 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.

“In these challenging economic times, it is vital to our communities to keep our police presence strong,” stated Thyer. “These DOJ grants provide much needed funding to the Jacksonville and Jonesboro Police Departments to do just that. Employing new officers and/or keeping them on the job helps these departments better serve their citizens. Additionally, my office depends on our partnership with local law enforcement agencies to help bring criminals to justice. It’s impossible to put a dollar value on the peace and safety provided to each of us every day by the commitment of these men and women. I commend Jacksonville and Jonesboro Police Departments for their dedication and congratulate them on their grant awards.”

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

“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 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.