Durbin Announces Over $4.1 Million In Federal Funding For Illinois Law Enforcement
City of Chicago to receive $3.125 million to help hire or rehire twenty-five police officers
CHICAGO – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that the Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program has awarded four communities in Illinois $4,125,000 in funding to recruit or rehire thirty-three police officers.
“Our nation’s law enforcement officers are called upon day after day to serve and protect our residents,” Durbin said. “However, tight budgets are forcing many local law enforcement agencies to reduce the number of officers on duty. The safety of our communities must be our top priority and this federal funding will help meet that goal by putting more local cops on the beat.”
Under today’s announcement, the following communities will receive COPS funding:
· City of Chicago: $3,125,000 in funding to hire or rehire twenty-five police officers;
· Maywood Police Department: $500,000 in funding to hire or rehire four police officers;
· North Chicago Police Department: $375,000 in funding to hire or rehire three police officers; and,
· City of Princeton: $125,000 in funding to hire or rehire one police officer.
Today’s funding is part of a nationwide announcement of $119 million in COPS grants that will be given to law enforcement agencies across the country with the aim of creating or saving hundreds of law enforcement positions, as well as increasing community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts.