Justice Department Awards Law Enforcement Hiring Grants to Help Build Trust, Reduce Violence and Protect Schools

DALLAS — U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) funding awards to the Arlington Police Department to create, and in some cases protect, 15 law enforcement positions in the Department.  More than $107 million will be awarded nationally, through the COPS Hiring Program (CHP), including this $1,875,000 funding for the Arlington 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.

"I’m grateful to the Attorney General not only for choosing one of the largest, and most community-focused police departments in the Northern District of Texas to receive this funding, but for recognizing the importance of continuing to support law enforcement agencies as they develop creative and innovative ways to deal with community and public safety issues,” said U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Will D. Johnson, Chief of the Arlington Police Department, said, “Our partnership with the COPS Office is instrumental in advancing public safety in our community. Arlington is honored to be selected for the COPS Hiring Program. This grant is a positive investment and will allow us to hire 15 additional police officers.”

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.

# # #