SANTA ANA - For the third year in a row, the Santa Ana Police Department was awarded $1,250,000 in grant funding for the addition of 10 police officers by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS). This brings the total amount awarded to $3.75 million for the addition of 30 police officers over the past three years.
Mayor Pulido attested, “One of our top priorities is the safety of our community and we are committed to hiring more police officers.”
“Federal investments like these are a testament to our collaborative and supportive advocacy efforts to enhance public safety,” stated Mayor Pro Tem Vicente Sarmiento, who also serves as Chairman of the Legislative Council Committee.
The COPS Hiring Program (CHP) is a national competitive grant program which funds the hiring or rehiring of entry-level career law enforcement officers in an effort to create and preserve jobs and increase community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts. CHP provides 75 percent of the approved entry-level salaries and benefits of each newly hired and/or rehired full-time officer over the three-year grant period.
Councilmember and Public Safety Council Committee Chairman David Benavides stated, “This grant will help us to enhance our community policing efforts.”
The 2016 COPS grant award will further the Santa Ana Police Department’s objectives as stated in the Five-Year Strategic Plan Goal of Community Safety. In particular, the grant funds will serve to enhance community oriented policing by improving customer service, crime prevention, and traffic, pedestrian, and bicycle safety.
“The City’s leadership established a goal of adding 100 new police officers in 2014 and we are making tremendous progress with this new COPS grant bringing our total to 55,” stated City Manager David Cavazos.
Chief of Police Carlos Rojas acknowledged, “This grant will help support our commitment to the community by providing additional support to the men and women of the Santa Ana Police Department that keep our community safe. We are appreciative of the support of our community, the Mayor and City Council, and City Manager.”
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