WASHINGTON, Sept. 4 (UPI) -- Nearly $20 million in grants were awarded to 62 law enforcement agencies to hire more personnel, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday.
The $19.8 million in grants were awarded through the department's Community Oriented Policing Services, and will provide up to 75 percent of the total salary and benefits package -- up to $75,000 -- for each of the 269 new officers, the department said in a release.
The grants are meant to enhance community policing capacity of local law enforcement agencies to address violent crime, the department said. Jurisdictions receiving the grants must retain the COPS-funded officer positions for at least another local-budget cycle after the three-year federal funding period expires.
"Today's grants will provide America's law enforcement agencies with added manpower, and they will help make our communities safer places to live and work," COPS Director Carl Peed said. "The grants will place officers on the front line of the fight against crime and will improve their ability to provide effective community policing services."
