U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and U.S. Representative Sean Patrick Maloney today announced that the City of Middletown will receive $500,000 in federal funding to hire four new police officers. This funding comes from the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS). Specifically, the funding will be allocated through the COPS Hiring Program (CHP), which helps cities around the country put more cops on the beat. Schumer, Gillibrand and Maloney said that, given how tight city budgets are, these funds are critical in enabling Middletown to bolster its police force and keep communities safe.
“At a time of tight budgets for cities like Middletown, helping to hire and retain police officers is exactly the type of investment that the federal government should be making. This effort will increase safety in the City of Middletown and ensure that the local police have the additional resources they need to work effectively and prevent crime,” said Senator Schumer, author of the 1994 Crime Bill that created the COPS program. “These four new officers will soon be on the beat and they will be able to make a huge difference in keeping more people safe throughout the community. Middletown needs all the help it can get to lower crime, and this investment in new officers will go a long way.”
“These federal funds will allow Middletown to hire the four additional police officers it needs to enhance public safety,” said Senator Gillibrand. “I will continue to push for resources to provide our local law enforcement officials with the tools necessary to fight crime and keep our communities safe.”
“Our police officers keep families and businesses in Middletown safe and this federal funding will ensure they continue to have a strong and fully-staffed police force,” said Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney. “I will continue working hand-in-glove with the Hudson Valley’s finest to ensure they have the resources and staff they need to do their job safely and effectively.”
“We are very pleased to have been selected to received such a generous award to help us fund additional police officers within our agency. These officers will be critical in assisting us to achieve our mission of reducing crime and building trust within the Middletown Community,” said Middletown Police Chief Ramon Bethencourt. “Our sincere appreciation goes out to Senator Chuck Schumer, Congressman Maloney, and the Community Oriented Policing Services division of the Department of Justice.”
Schumer, Gillibrand and Maloney explained that CHP plays a pivotal role in providing the funds Middletown, and many cities like it, need to hire new police officers. The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) is a component of the US Department of Justice, installed as a part of the 1994 Crime Bill. The COPS Office awards grants to state and local law enforcement agencies to hire and train community policing professionals, acquire cutting-edge crime-fighting technologies, and develop and test innovative policing strategies. This program awards grants to state and local law enforcement agencies to hire and train police officers, acquire and deploy new, crime-fighting technologies. The COPS Hiring Program (CHP) that is part of this program specifically provides funds directly to law enforcement agencies to hire new and/or rehire career law enforcement officers, and to increase their community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts, distributed through a wide range of programs that includes grants and cooperative agreements.