The Recovery Act: Results in Action

On July 28, 2009, through money from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, the Department of Justice awarded $1 billion in grants to 1,046 law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring of 4,699 officers.  The positive impact of this funding is being felt throughout the country at the local level as law enforcement agencies that received funding have begun to hire new officers.  Today, Attorney General Eric Holder personally witnessed these positive results. At a graduation ceremony in Charlotte, North Carolina, Holder addressed the 158th recruit class for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. 50 graduating officers in that class were hired through Recovery Act funds. 50 more men and women have jobs for the next four years thanks to the grants. And 50 more cops are on the street protecting the Charlotte-Mecklenburg community because of the Recovery Act. The Attorney General met with the graduates before the ceremony to shake their hands and welcome them to the beat. At the ceremony, he told the audience:  And praised the officers saying: The grants were awarded by the Department of Justice under the COPS Hiring Recovery Program (CHRP), which is administered by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS).  CHRP was an initiative of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, and is intended to create jobs and to help communities effectively fight crime. The grants provide 100 percent funding for entry-level officer salaries and benefits for three years, and can be used to rehire officers who have been laid off because of local budget cuts.