Four Southern Illinois police agencies receive federal grants to hire more officers
Four southern Illinois law enforcement agencies have received more than $1 million in federal grant money to hire additional officers and enhance community policing tactics.
The Collinsville, Caseyville, Brooklyn and Anna police departments have been given the funds, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois Steven Weinhoeft said Wednesday.
The grant is awarded by the Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Program, which emphasizes “community-oriented policing,” or focusing on building ties and working closely with community members.
The departments received the following amounts:
- Anna Police Department: $125,000
- Brooklyn Police Department: $123,044
- Caseyville Police Department: $125,000
- Collinsville Police Department: $750,000
According to the COPS Hiring Program website, the grant provides funding to hire and rehire entry-level law enforcement officers in order to “preserve jobs, increase community policing capacities and support crime prevention efforts.”
Applicants for the grant were required to identify a specific crime or disorder problem focus area and explain how the funding will be used to implement community policing approaches to that problem focus area.
The four local police departments were among 596 across the nation to receive the grant money, which totaled $400 million, Weinhoeft’s office said in a news release.
“We are a self-governing nation, which requires a relationship between the government and the community that it serves,” Weinhoeft said in the release. “In these turbulent times, we see the damage that occurs when those relationships are fractured.
“These grants reflect a substantial commitment to help strengthen those bonds and provide support for the valuable work these police departments are already doing for the communities they protect. For the residents of Anna, Brooklyn, Caseyville, and Collinsville, this is very good news.”
This story was originally published June 3, 2020 at 4:15 PM.
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