U.S. Department of Justice Announces Nearly $300 Million in Federal Grants to Support Local Law Enforcement

            CONCORD – The Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) has announced the release of approximately $300 million in grant solicitations for programs that advance community policing, keep students safe, and add law enforcement officers to our nation’s streets.

“These grant solicitations could not have come at a better time, as our law enforcement partners are operating with significant staffing shortages and working every day to reignite community faith in our profession,” said U.S. Attorney Jane Young. “I urge departments throughout the Granite State to take advantage of these funding opportunities.”

“These grant solicitations represent the Justice Department’s commitment to keeping our children safe in their schools and assisting law enforcement agencies across the country with the ongoing recruitment and retention crisis,” said Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta. “Supporting community violence intervention programs, and the law enforcement agencies that partner with them, is not only a priority of the Department, but is critical to the safety and success of future generations.”

The announced solicitations include $224.5 million available for the COPS Hiring Program (CHP), which is a competitive award program that provides direct funding for the hiring of career law enforcement officers. The COPS Office intends to prioritize applications for jurisdictions that support Community Violence Intervention (CVI) programs, seek to hire officers that would engage with community stakeholders to involve them in strategic operations and planning, and implement hiring practices to help agencies mirror the racial diversity of the communities that they serve. All local, state, Tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies that have primary law enforcement authority are eligible to apply.

Funding also includes $73 million for the School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP). This program provides funding to improve security at schools and on school grounds in the grantees’ jurisdictions through evidence-based school safety programs. Awards will be provided directly to eligible state, local, Tribal, and territorial partners. Recipients of SVPP funding must use funding for the benefit of K-12, primary, and secondary schools, and students.

Please visit https://cops.usdoj.gov/grants for additional information about both the COPS Hiring Program and the School Violence Prevention Program.

###