Connecticut Delegation Announces $4.7 Million In "Vets To Cops" Hiring Grants
(Washington, DC) – Members of the Connecticut Congressional delegation today announced more than $4.7 million in federal grants to create or save 36 law enforcement jobs in the state. Awarded through the U.S. Department of Justice’s COPS Hiring Program (CHP), these grants create new positions, and save positions lost or in jeopardy of being lost due to local budget cuts. The 2012 program requires that all new hires must be recent military veterans.
“These grants will benefit Connecticut in a variety of important ways,” Lieberman said. “Not only do they make our neighborhoods safer by putting more police on the streets, but they also create real jobs that help heroic veterans transition into the workforce.”
“I know from professional experience that nothing matters more to law enforcement than the professionals on the beat who are enabled and enhanced by these grant,” said Blumenthal. “The skilled and dedicated police of Connecticut need this assistance so they can out gun and out man crooks and anyone seeking to do harm in our neighborhoods and communities.”
“With cities and towns continuing to face tight budgets, police departments across Connecticut are constantly being asked to do more with less,” said DeLauro. “These grants will help New Haven and Waterbury alleviate some of that pressure, preventing harmful cuts and ensuring police officers remain on the beat to help reduce crime in our communities.”
“As members of the United States Armed Forces our veterans have shown they possess the discipline and commitment to our country’s principles that mirror that of our community’s police officers,” Larson said. “I am very pleased that the White House sees the potential in our returning veterans and are offering them the chance to begin another career in public service. Whether it is through this program, or our recently introduced Veterans Job Match programs in the construction and manufacturing sectors, we owe it to those who have served to make sure our veterans have access to good-paying jobs.”
“The COPS program has helped meet a critical need in towns across Connecticut, and these funds will keep our communities safer and create jobs for our returning veterans,” said Murphy. “This funding is especially important as tough economic times squeeze local police budget and drive crime rates higher. Our state's police forces have been particularly strained in recent years and these additional officers will give local law enforcement a much-needed boost.”
“At the job fairs I hosted across eastern Connecticut and in advocating for federal legislation like the VOW to Hire Heroes Act, hiring military veterans has been a priority for me,” said Courtney. “By allowing the City to hire veterans, it further fulfills our obligation to the men and women who served in our military. This targeted assistance will make the streets of Norwich safer and provide great assistance to Chief Fusaro and his Department, which participated in my recent career fair in Norwich.”
Connecticut received a total of $4,745,037 to create or save 36 law enforcement jobs. The City of Hartford was awarded $1,745,037 to hire 12 officers; The City of New Haven received $750,000 to hire 6 officers; The Norwich Police Department received $500,000 to hire 4 officers; and The City of Waterbury received $1,750,000 to hire 14 officers.
The 2012 CHP program was changed to require that all new officers hired under the grant be military veterans who have served 180 days of active military service since September 11, 2001. CHP grants go directly to law enforcement agencies to hire new and/or rehire career law enforcement officers in an effort to increase their community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts. The grants provide 75 percent funding for three years of salaries and benefits for full-time newly-hired or rehired officers. In addition to pledging to hire veterans, plans to address specific problems such as increased gun violence or homicide rates were considered.
