The Justice Department Awards $5.1 Million to Hire Police Officers in Northern Ohio

The U.S. Department of Justice announced funding awards to seven cities and agencies in the district, aimed at creating, and in some cases protecting, 41 law enforcement positions, said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio

Nearly $124 million will be awarded nationally from the Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), including $5.1 million in the Northern District of Ohio.

The list of this year’s grantees includes:

• Austintown, $250,000 for two officers.
• Canton, $1,125,000 for nine officers.
• Cleveland, $1,875,000 for 15 officers.
• The Cleveland Metropolitan Housing Authority, $500,000 for four officers.
• Lima, $375,000 for three officers.
• Lorain, $625,000 for five officers.
• Warren, $375,000 for three officers.

“The Justice Department is proud to support the brave men and women serving and protecting our communities in the Northern District of Ohio,” Dettelbach said. “As we work together to develop innovative strategies to reduce firearms violence, dismantle gang activity and break cycle of violence, we need to help the people on the front lines to fight crime.”

“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. “Funding from this year’s program will allow many cities and counties to apply new sworn personnel to issues related to violent crime, property crime, and school safety.”

The COPS Hiring Program offers 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.

Grantees for the 2014 hiring program were selected based on their fiscal needs, local crime rates, and community policing plans.

The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1995, COPS has awarded 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 125,000 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 2014 COPS Hiring Program, visit the COPS website at www.cops.usdoj.gov.