Department Of Justice Awards Nearly $400 Million For Law Enforcement Hiring To Advance Community

Over $1.3 Million Awarded to Hazleton Police Department

HARISBURG – The Department of Justice and U.S. Attorney David J. Freed announced nearly $400 million in grant funding through the Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) COPS Hiring Program (CHP), with more than $1.3 million going to the Hazleton Police Department in the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

The Attorney General announced the awards to 596 law enforcement agencies across the nation, which allows those agencies to hire 2,732 additional full-time law enforcement professionals. 

“The Department of Justice is committed to providing the police chiefs and sheriffs of our great nation with needed resources, tools, and support.  The funding announced today will bolster their ranks and contribute to expanding community policing efforts nationwide,” said Attorney General William P. Barr.  “A law enforcement agency’s most valuable assets are the men and women who put their lives on the line every day in the name of protecting and serving their communities.”

“In the Middle District of Pennsylvania, we value nothing more highly than our strong relationships with our partners in state and local law enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney Freed.  “We are proud to work with the elected leaders of the City of Hazleton and their police department to provide resources for more officers.  Hazleton is a dynamic community that is working hard to confront the challenges of 21^st century policing.  More officers means more opportunities to build relationships across the community and more ways to serve and protect.”

Of the eight grants awarded in Pennsylvania, one of them is to Hazleton Police Department in the Middle District of Pennsylvania.  This grant of $1,342,497 will allow Hazleton Police Department to hire four additional full-time officers.

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: https://cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/2020AwardDocs/chp/Award_List.pdf?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery. 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.

The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice.  Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.

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