Department Of Justice Awards Grants To Middle District Law Enforcement Agencies

TAMPA, FL - The U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), today announced funding awards to five cities and counties in the Middle District of Florida. These grants, totaling $2,096,297, are intended to create, and in some cases protect, 17 law enforcement positions. Over $107 million will be awarded nationally, through the COPS Hiring Program (CHP).

The list of this year’s grantees includes the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office; the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office; the Orange County Sheriff’s Office; the Rockledge Police Department; and the South Daytona Police Department.

“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.

“Community policing is critical in fostering and sustaining strong relationships between local law enforcement and the communities they serve,” said U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III. “The partnerships developed through these efforts create the dialogue necessary to build trust at all levels. Our Office is excited that five of our local law enforcement partners will have additional funding to enhance community policing within their jurisdictions.”

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.

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