Washington, DC - Congressman John D. Dingell (D-MI15) applauded the decision by U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) to award grants to five cities in Michigan’s 15th Congressional District.  These grants, which are part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, will pay for more officers on the beat in Dearborn, Inkster, Monroe, Romulus and Ypsilanti.  The grants will provide 100 percent of the approved salary and benefits for entry level officer positions over a three year period.  Police departments receiving the grants will then be required to retain the grant funded positions for a fourth year. 

“I want to thank the Justice Department and the COPS program for this much needed investment in our state,” Dingell said. “At a time when Michigan is strapped for funds and has resorted to layoffs of our law enforcement personnel, I could not be more pleased to see the Recovery Act in action.  The ability to hire additional police, joining the excellent men and women already protecting and serving our communities, is a great benefit to our community.  This is good news for our citizens, who will welcome these officers onto our streets.”

Here’s where the grants went, the officers they can hire, and the total amount of the grant:

• Dearborn, City of: 10 officers and $2,271,240.
• Inkster, City of: 3 officers and $698,598.
• Monroe City Police: 2 officers and $462,274.
• Romulus, City of: 3 officers and $777,738.
• Ypsilanti Police Department: 2 officers and $460,564.

Vice President Joseph Biden and Attorney General Eric Holder today announced $1 billion in grants to fund the hiring and rehiring of 4,699 law enforcement officers.  The grants will be awarded to 1046 law enforcement agencies from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Northern Mariana Islands and Guam.  46 Michigan cities will receive $34,587,894 in federal grants, creating opportunities for 160 officers. 

The funding provides much needed support to state and local government budgets, and will help the nation’s law enforcement agencies add and retain the manpower needed to fight crime more effectively through community policing.

For more information about the grants, or to learn which law enforcement agencies received funding, please visit www.cops.usdoj.gov.