U.S. Department Of Justice Awards Law Enforcement Hiring Grants To Help Build Trust, Reduce Violence And Protect Schools

$1,585,858 Awarded to Kentucky Law Enforcement Agencies

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – U.S. Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr. today announced the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) funded twelve law enforcement positions in the Western District of Kentucky. These hiring grants, totaling $1,460,858.00, are aimed at creating and in some cases continuing law enforcement positions in two police departments and one sheriff’s department in the District. Another hiring grant also was awarded today in the Eastern District of Kentucky, for a total award of  $1,585,858.00 to Kentucky.

“This federal grant money enables local law enforcement agencies to hire officers who will be dedicated to specific community policing focus areas: community outreach, gun violence, school-based policing, or homeland security,” stated U.S. Attorney John Kuhn. “The goal of these hiring grants is to use a community policing model to improve public safety and relationships between the police and the community they serve.”

In the Western District of Kentucky, grants were awarded to the Albany Police Department for one officer in the amount of $98,888; to the Louisville Metro Police Department for ten officers in the amount of $1,248,371; and to the Todd County Sheriff’s Department for one officer in the amount of $113,604.

“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.”

U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch made the announcement today in Washington. Over $107 million will be awarded nationally this year, through the COPS Hiring Program (CHP). 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.

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.