Durbin: $1.8 Million in COPS Funding for Illinois
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that Illinois law enforcement agencies will receive a total of $1,865,151 in funding from the Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS). Today’s funding – part of a nationwide announcement of $27 million in COPS grants – will be used for school safety and to locate, arrest, and prosecute child sexual predators and exploiters.
“At a time when tight budgets have forced many law enforcement agencies to cut back on community policing, today’s funding will increase efforts to help our children feel safer and bring peace of mind to their parents,” said Durbin.
Two Illinois agencies will receive funding under the Child Sexual Predator Program which is a funding initiative implemented by COPS aimed at reducing and preventing child endangerment and protecting communities from sexual predators. Launched in 2008, the program provides grants to help locate, arrest, and prosecute child sexual predators and exploiters, and enforce state sex offender registration laws. The following agencies will receive funding under this program:
- City of Bloomington: $496,732
- Illinois Department of Corrections: $495,370
Six Illinois agencies will receive funding under the Secure Our Schools grant program which provides funding to state, local, or tribal governments to assist with the procurement of school safety resources and the opportunity to establish and enhance a variety of school safety equipment and/or programs. Funding under this program may be used for a variety of purposes including: placement and use of metal detectors; locks, lighting, and other deterrent measures; security assessments; security training of personnel and students; and coordination with local law enforcement. The following agencies will receive funding under this program:
- City of Chicago: $498,507
- City of Champaign: $10,950
- Gurnee Police Department: $50,639
- Madison Police Department: $27,011
- Manteno Police Department: $165,192
- Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department: $120,750