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

WASHINGTON, DC—Today, U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced an Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) funding award to one county in the Eastern District of Tennessee, aimed at creating, and in some cases protecting, six law enforcement positions. Over $107 million will be awarded nationally, through the COPS Hiring Program (CHP), including $621,318.00 awarded to the Eastern District of Tennessee.

The list of this year’s grantees includes the Sevier County Sheriff’s Department, which was awarded the entire $621,318.00 referenced above to fund six additional officers.

“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.

“We are pleased that this grant will provide Sevier County funding to hire more officers for the safety of not only Sevier County residents, but the large number of tourists who visit Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, the Smoky Mountain National Park and surrounding areas within the county,” said U.S. Attorney William C. Killian.

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.