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GPD is awarded $1.6M grant for its COPS Hiring Program
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Department of Justice has awarded the Guam Police Department $1,660,578 for 15 police officer positions.
The 2017 COPS Hiring Program is a competitive grant program that funds the hiring or rehiring of law enforcement officers.
CHP provides 75 percent of the approved entry-level salaries and fringe benefits of each newly hired and/or rehired full-time officer over the three-year (36-month) grant period.
Delegate Madeleine Z. Bordallo (D-GU), who announced the grant award yesterday, as been a strong supporter of funding for the COPS Hiring Program. In March 2016, she signed on to a joint letter to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies urging appropriators to provide sufficient funding for fiscal year 2017 for the Community Oriented Policing Services program, in particular the COPS Hiring Program. She joined a similar letter in April of this year supporting sufficient funding for the COPS program for fiscal year 2018.
“The Guam Police Department is appreciative of the $1,660,578.00 award, which funds the recruitment of 15 police officers. This is the largest amount of funding for police officer recruitment since 2011 when GPD was awarded $1,278,072 for the recruitment of 12 police officers. Since 2011 the COPS Hiring Program has awarded a total of $4,732,649 for the recruitment of 41 police officers in the Guam Police Department,” said Guam Police Department major Andrew B. Quitugua.
“The COPS Hiring program has been instrumental to helping local police departments nationwide recruit and retain law enforcement officers, said Bordallo. “I have been a strong supporter of this program throughout my time in Congress and have joined my colleagues in urging House appropriators to ensure the program has sufficient funding each fiscal year. Funds from this grant will support 15 police officer positions at the Guam Police Department and enhance public safety on island. I commend GPD leadership for working with the Justice Department to secure this grant and I look forward to these federal funds benefitting our community.” (PR)
