TRENTON — Six New Jersey towns will get a cut of federal grant money used to hire and retain police officers, the U.S. Department of Justice announced today. The Community Oriented Policing Services program, known as COPS, is distributing $298 million this year to 379 police agencies across the country. New Jersey towns are receiving $8.34 million in total,...
Camden Police officers patrol the streets in a September 2009 photo. Camden is receiving $4.38 million in federal funds to hire and retain police officers.TRENTON — Six New Jersey towns will get a cut of federal grant money used to hire and retain police officers, the U.S. Department of Justice announced today.
The Community Oriented Policing Services program, known as COPS, is distributing $298 million this year to 379 police agencies across the country.
New Jersey towns are receiving $8.34 million in total, creating or saving 36 jobs. The grants provide three years of salaries for the officers.
Camden, a city with a chronic crime problem that has struggled to retain police officers, is getting the largest chunk of the money, $4.38 million. The money will be used to hire or retain 19 officers, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Camden was previously banned from accepting money through the COPS program because of past spending violations. That three-year ban ended this year.
The other five towns include:
• New Brunswick — $1,588,664 for seven officers
• Egg Harbor Township — $1,128,350 for five officers
• Neptune Township — $725,301 for three officers
• South Hackensack — $269,458 for one officer
• Pennsville — $246,323 for one officer
“This federal funding will help make sure we have police on the beat in our communities,” Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) said. “With this federal funding, police departments across New Jersey will be better prepared to carry out their duties."
The six departments receiving funding are a fraction of the 190 police agencies in the state that requested grants from the COPS program.
Anthony Wieners, president of the New Jersey State Policemen’s Benevolent Association, said the grants won't prevent a public safety crisis from layoffs of police officers.
"It’s like putting a Band-Aid on a sucking chest wound," he said
• Full list of towns rewarded federal grant money across the country
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