Prov. Police Dept. receives $1.9M in federal funds to hire 15 officers

PROVIDENCE MAYOR JORGE O. ELORZA said the $1.9 million in federal funding to hire 15 more police officers will assist and strengthen community policing efforts.  / PBN FILE PHOTO/STEPHANIE ALVAREZ EWENS
PROVIDENCE MAYOR JORGE O. ELORZA said the $1.9 million in federal funding to hire 15 more police officers will assist and strengthen community policing efforts. / PBN FILE PHOTO/STEPHANIE ALVAREZ EWENS

PROVIDENCE – The Police Department has received $1.9 million in federal funding to add up to 15 more police officers, the state’s congressional delegation and Mayor Jorge O. Elorza announced this week.
The grant, administered by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Community Oriented Policing Services office, will put more officers on the streets and help the city full budget gaps, according to a press release U.S. Sen. Jack F. Reed. It provides salaries and benefits for officer hires for three years.
More than $107 million in grants were awarded to law enforcement agencies across the country, the news release stated.
“These federal funds will help enhance public safety by putting more officers on the streets and improving collaboration between police and the community,” Reed said in a statement.
Elorza said the new officers will assist and strengthen community policing efforts throughout the city.
The Police Department currently has 425 officers.
Over the years, Rhode Island has received more than $51.2 million in COPS grants and local police departments across the state have hired approximately 440 new police officers with support from federal COPS funding, the release stated.

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