U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman Announces Department Of Justice Hiring Grants To Help Reduce Violence And Protect Schools In New Jersey

Grants Awarded to Hire School Resource Officers, Reduce Violence
and Address Other Critical Law Enforcement Needs

NEWARK, N.J. – U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman, following yesterday’s announcement by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) of nearly $124 million in nationally awarded funding, today announced the specific funding awards for the District of New Jersey.

Ten cities and counties in New Jersey will receive more than $12.2 million in funding awards aimed at creating, and in some cases protecting, 87 law enforcement positions.

“Local law enforcement is in the streets every day working to reduce violent crime and create safer neighborhoods,” said U.S. Attorney Fishman. “This federal funding recognizes the importance of community policing as a critical piece of our crime prevention strategy. Putting more cops on the beat helps to build community trust, and that is one of the most effective things we can do to combat crime.”

The grantees and amounts awarded include:

Recipient	Total Officers Awarded	Estimated Award Amount
6	$750,000
Camden County Police Department	15	$3,248,200
Irvington, Township of	8	$1,000,000
Jersey City	15	$1,875,000
Long Branch Police Department	5	$625,000
Newark, City of	15	$1,875,000
Paramus Police Department	5	$623,592
Phillipsburg, Town of	1	$125,000
Trenton, City of	12	$1,500,000
Wildwood Police Department	5	$625,000

“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 police 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 additional information about the 2014 COPS Hiring Program, visit the COPS website at www.cops.usdoj.gov.

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