U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand
today announced that $2,306,860 in Department of Justice Community Oriented
Policing Services (COPS) grants will be awarded to the Albany Police
Department. The funding, coming through the American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act (ARRA), will support the hiring or rehiring of up to ten police officers to
ensure that the agencies have adequate staff through the economic downturn.
“Keeping cops on the beat is one of the best impacts of the
Economic Recovery Act. These federal dollars are absolutely essential to
budget-stressed local law enforcement in places like Albany,” said Schumer. “In
these tough economic times, where budgets are being stretched to the limit,
these funds will save our law enforcement agencies from taking the dangerous
step of eliminating officers from their ranks. I have worked continuously for
stimulus funding to keep cops on the streets, and will continue to fight for
more resources to keep our communities safe.”
“Law enforcement agencies in New York have been squeezed by
budget cuts, forced to lay off critical personnel, and reduce key crime
prevention programs,” said Senator Gillibrand. “These COPS grants will make our
streets safe, neighborhoods secure, and create new jobs in law enforcement.
Protecting our families and communities is the highest priority of our law
enforcement professionals, and protecting jobs for New York is my highest
priority.”
The funding is being allocated as part of the COPS Hiring
Recovery Program (CHRP), which will award a total of $1 billion in ARRA funding
to 1,046 law enforcement agencies nationwide to either create or preserve
officer positions. CHRP funding will ensure that state, local and tribal law
enforcement agencies have the necessary resources to maintain their community
policing capacity at a time when city and town budgets have threatened forces
with painful cuts. CHRP grants fully fund entry-level salaries and benefits for
three years for newly-hired, full-time sworn officers, and can fund officers
recently laid off or scheduled to be laid off due to local budget cuts.