Justice Department Awards Rhode Island Law Enforcement Agencies More Than $3.3 Million in Public Safety Grants

PROVIDENCE, RI – United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha joins the Justice Department today in announcing several new commitments as part of the Justice Department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime. Instituted by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in May 2021, the strategy focuses on harnessing federal resources, intelligence, and expertise as a force-multiplier with state, local, and Tribal law enforcement.   

Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco and Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta highlighted the more than $334 million in critical grant funding to law enforcement agencies and stakeholders awarded today by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office).The COPS grants announced today include funding to help law enforcement agencies hire over 1,730 new law enforcement officers across the country while also providing critical funding to support school safety and continue to advance community policing nationwide  

Through this funding, U.S. Attorney Cunha is pleased to announce that the Department’s COPS Office awarded a total of more than $3.3 million to Rhode Island to combat violent crime and maintain public safety. 

Grant awards to Rhode Island law enforcement agencies include

• $2.5 million for the Providence Police Department to hire twenty police officers;
• $400,000 to the South Kingstown Police Department to implement Crisis Intervention Teams;
• $220,514 to fund a Providence Police Department De-Escalation Program;
• $67,500 to fund a Tiverton Police Department School Violence Prevention Program; and
• $132,518 to the Rhode Island Police Accreditation Commission to enhance existing law enforcement accreditation entities.

“Law enforcement officers across the country are showing up every day to protect their communities in the face of unprecedented challenges,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “These grants, which support the hiring of more than 1700 new officers and make critical investments in school safety and crisis intervention efforts, will help provide local law enforcement agencies with the resources they need to keep their communities safe, support officers, and build public trust.” 

“This Office’s strong and enduring relationships with our state and local law enforcement partners are critical to our work keeping Rhode Islanders safe, taking violent criminals off our streets, and standing up for the victims of crime,” remarked U.S. Attorney Cunha.  “These grants will help fund innovative approaches that enhance public safety and deepen law enforcement’s connections to the communities we serve.”

“For almost 30 years, the COPS Office has worked to reduce crime and increase trust between law enforcement and the community through the many different grant programs that we offer,” said Director Hugh T. Clements Jr. of the COPS Office. “The funding we are announcing today will go a long way toward advancing this very important work.”

The Department has also named the five new cities to join the more than 50 jurisdictions currently part of the Office of Justice Program’s (OJP) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) National Public Safety Partnership (PSP), which has a proven track record of helping partner sites reduce crime, improve homicide clearance rates, and enhance the quality of life for community members. The 2024 PSP sites are: Knoxville, Tennessee; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Raleigh, North Carolina; San Antonio, Texas; and Vallejo, California.   

Lastly, the Deputy Attorney General and Associate Attorney General announced that this December 11-13, in Indianapolis, the Justice Department’s will bring together 1,500 local and federal partners from across the country, including representatives from the more than 50 PSP jurisdictions and from Project Safe Neighborhoods for a Violent Crime Reduction Summit, to be hosted by OJP BJA. 

Complete lists of all program award recipients, including funding amounts, can be found here.   

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