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 the 2015 Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) Hiring Program Awards, including a $1,875,000 grant to the Tallahassee Police Department in the Northern District of Florida to fund 15 law enforcement positions.

The COPS Hiring Program 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.  More than $107 million nationally and more than $7,000,000 in Florida will be awarded through this program.

“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.”

“Keeping our communities safe is the primary role of our criminal justice system, and grants such as this one help accomplish that goal,” said Christopher P. Canova, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.  “My office is committed to maintaining partnerships with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to help protect Tallahassee’s citizens and the communities within the Northern District of Florida.”

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 President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing Final Report 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 more than $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.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.  The office strives to protect and serve the citizens of the Northern District of Florida through the ethical, vigorous, and impartial enforcement of the laws of the United States, to defend the national security, to improve the safety and quality of life in our communities through the protection of civil rights, and to protect the public funds and financial assets of the United States.  To access available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website.  For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

For more information, contact:

Amy Alexander, Public Information Officer

(850) 216-3854, amy.alexander@usdoj.gov