FEDS TO FUND SIX NEW POLICE OFFICERS
The City of Allentown will be getting six additional police officers thanks to funding from the U.S Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.
The Office announced today that Allentown will receive $750,000 over three years requiring a local match of about $1.1 million.
Mayor Ed Pawlowski said, “This is tremendous news. We have been increasing the size of the department ever since a wave of retirements in 2005-2006 had reduced the force to about 160 officers. This is a highly competitive process. More than 1,100 departments filed applications. I commend Chief Dorney and his staff for putting together the successful application.”
There are currently 212 sworn officers on the department.
2017 COPS Hiring Program grant awards cover 802 officers from 179 departments across the country totaling $98.5 million.
Allentown is one of just four departments across Pennsylvania to receive funding, joining the Coatesville, Shamokin and Southern Chester County Regional police departments that each were awarded one officer. Applications were submitted from 41 departments across the state.
According to an Office fact sheet, “Twenty-three years after the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 was signed into law, the COPS Office continues to support the efforts of law enforcement agencies across the country as they develop creative and innovative ways to deal with long-standing community crime problems and public safety issues. To date, the COPS Office has invested more than $14 billion, including grants to more than 13,000 state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies, to reduce crime by advancing community policing. In all, COPS Office funding has supported the hiring of more than 130,000 law enforcement officers in agencies large and small across the nation.”
“CHP is the COPS Office’s flagship program with a long history of promoting police-community partnerships for the express purpose of crime reduction through effective community policing. Through CHP, the COPS Office is supporting our nation’s front-line heroes by providing them with needed resources and expertise to enhance local community policing strategies and tactics.”
Information Provided By:
Mike Moore
Communications Manager
Mayor’s Office
435 Hamilton Street
Allentown, PA 18101
Mike.Moore@allentownpa.gov
http://www.AllentownPA.gov
