Biden announces $1 billion for cops; 50 for Boston
Vice President Joe Biden and Attorney General Eric Holder announced today that the Justice Department will award $1 billion in grants to help local law enforcement agencies hire about 4,700 officers.
Boston is the biggest beneficiary in Massachusetts, with $11.8 million, enough for 50 officers. Other recipients include New Bedford, 13 officers; Lowell, 12; and Fall River, 10 officers.
UPDATE: Boston officials welcomed the money, which they said made the city one of only 24 in the nation to receive its full request and said would allow the police department to expand community-oriented policing.
“Today is a great day for public safety in Boston,” Mayor Thomas M. Menino said in a statement. “I am grateful for all of the work done by President Nee of the Boston Police Patrolman's Association and our partners in Washington for helping us secure this competitive grant money. This award is a terrific example of Boston's strong commitment to public safety. This funding will keep officers on the streets of our neighborhoods and continue our progress in community policing. I am proud of the work done by the Boston Police Department in reducing crime across our city, and this funding will allow us to continue these effective strategies.”
“We are thrilled to receive this important funding from the Department of Justice,” Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis added in a statement. “It is precisely what we need during this difficult fiscal time to stave off workplace reduction. This initiative will assist us in maintaining the level of public safety service that Boston residents and visitors have become accustomed to."
In all, 13 Massachusetts agencies will get $29 million for 131 officers, while 212 agencies asked for $203 million for 931 officers, according to the Justice Department. To see the Massachusetts summary, click here.
But New York, Houston, Seattle, and Pittsburgh are among those not receiving any money because the Justice Department decided other cities were more needy. To see the full list of grants by state, click here.
The Justice Department received more than 7,200 applications for more than 39,000 officer positions, representing a total of $8.3 billion in funding, the White House said.
The money will come from the $787 billion economic stimulus package and will go to 1,046 law enforcement agencies from all 50 states, providing the salaries and benefits for three years.
Agencies will be required to foot the bill for the officers for a fourth year -- a mandate that could cause problems for cash-strapped cities and towns. It was also the biggest criticism of a similar program during the 1990s under the Clinton administration.
“A big part of the Recovery Act is about building communities – making them as strong as they can be, allowing every American family to live a better life than the one they are leading now,” Biden said in Philadelphia. “And we can’t achieve the goal of stronger communities without supporting those who keep our streets safe.”
“These Recovery Act funds will pump much needed resources into communities through a program with a proven track record,” said Holder. “The tremendous demand for these grants is indicative of both the tough times our states, cities and tribes are facing, and the unyielding commitment by law enforcement to making our communities safer.”
The release from Massachusetts Senators John F. Kerry and Edward M. Kennedy is below:
BOSTON, MA – Senators Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry announced today that thirteen police departments in Massachusetts will receive a total of $28,984,695 in federal funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The funds will be administered by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services of the Department of Justice, under the agency’s COPS Hiring Recovery Program, and will be used to provide one hundred percent of the approved salary and benefits for entry-level officer positions over a three-year period, or for rehired officers who have been laid off or officers scheduled to be laid off at a future date because of local budget cuts. The funds provide much-needed support to state and local government budgets and will help law enforcement agencies add and retain the manpower needed to fight crime more effectively through community policing.
Senator Kennedy said, “These COPS funds are vital. Police departments across our Commonwealth must have the resources needed to have enough officers on the streets to keep our citizens and our communities safe.”
“When I was a prosecutor, I learned firsthand the difference a beefed-up police presence makes on the streets. It means safer communities, lower crime rates and at the same time an infusion of jobs into the economy,” said Senator Kerry.
In 1993 Kennedy and Kerry led the fight to add police on our streets through their amendment to the Crime Control bill, which provided for $150 million to hire 100,000 new police officers- a measure widely regarded as having helped to lower the crime rate across the country. Since then they have continued to be strong supporters of the COPS program.
For more information on the grants, please visit http://www.cops.usdoj.gov.
For more information on other Department of Justice initiatives under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, please visit http://www.usdoj.gov/recovery.
The recipients of the COPS grants, the number of officers affected, and the award amounts are as follows:
Boston Police Department, 50 officers, $11,843,200
Brockton Police Department, 9 officers, $2,272,761
Chelsea Police Department, 3 officers, $755,892
Everett Police Department, 5 officers, $1,267,935
Fall River Police Department, 10 officers, $2,117,220
City of Fitchburg, 4 officers, $801,620
City of Holyoke, 6 officers, $1,290,540
Lawrence Police Department, 7 officers, $1,496,985
Lowell Police Department, 12 officers, $2,084,736
Lynn Police Department, 9 officers, $1,954,773
New Bedford Police Department, 13 officers, $2,411,279
North Adams Police Department, 1 officer, $191,302
Webster Police Department, 2 officers, $496,452
About Political Intelligence
Glen Johnson is Politics Editor at boston.com and lead blogger for "Political Intelligence." He moved to Massachusetts in the fourth grade, and has covered local, state, and national politics for over 25 years. E-mail him at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen. |
