U.S. Department Of Justice Awards $1.8 Million Grant To VI For Hiring Of 15 Law Enforcement Officers To Help Build Trust, Reduce Violence

WASHINGTON, DC—Today, U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) funding awards, including a $1,838,023 award to the Virgin Islands Police Department for 15 additional law enforcement positions, press release U.S. Attorney’s Office announced this evening. Over $107 million will be awarded nationally, through the COPS Hiring Program (CHP). See fact sheet here.

“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. “

These grants demonstrate the US Department of Justice’s and the US Attorney’s Office’s commitment to ensuring public safety by getting more officers on the streets,” said Ronald W. Sharpe, United States Attorney for the District of the Virgin Islands. “Moreover, by having these officers engage in community policing, the community is assured that progressive steps, such as ending excessive use of force and promoting accountability systems, are being taken to build trust between law enforcement officers and the community.”

U.S. Attorney Sharpe said that when there is trust between law enforcement officers and the community, both victims and witnesses are more likely to provide law enforcement with information needed to resolve crimes and ensure that those responsible are held accountable.

Priority consideration for the grants 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.