Justice Dept. Awards $2.2M for Innovative Community Policing Projects

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The Department of Justice recently announced $2.2 million in grant funding to law enforcement agencies and stakeholders through the Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) Community Policing Development (CPD) Microgrants Program.

In the Eastern District of Virginia, the Virginia Department of State Police was awarded $83,137 for a police officer safety and wellness project.

“The CPD Microgrants Program is a critical resource to advance innovative community policing projects across the country,” said Phil Keith, Director of the COPS Office. “These strategic investments from the COPS Office pay huge dividends to state and local law enforcement agencies and the communities that they serve.”

CPD Microgrants Program funds are used to develop the capacity of local, state, and tribal law enforcement agencies to implement community policing strategies. Applicants were invited to propose demonstration or pilot projects to be implemented in their agency that offer creative ideas to advance crime fighting, community engagement, problem solving, or organizational changes to support community policing in one of the following areas:

• Human Trafficking
• Meeting Rural Law Enforcement Challenges
• Officer Safety and Wellness
• Recruitment, Hiring, and Retention

• School Safety
• Staffing and Allocation Studies
• Victim-Centered Approaches
• Violent Crime
• Youth Engagement

Funding through this program is available for the first time since 2018, following the successful removal of a nationwide injunction. These awards are being announced at a critical time for our country, when community policing strategies are very much needed to improve police and community relations.

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

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.