Title
New Police Officers Grant Application
Action
Action:
Authorize Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department to submit a grant application to the U. S. Department of Justice for $1,874,924 over three years to fund 15 new police officer positions.
Body
Staff Resource(s):
Kerr Putney, Police
Coerte Voorhees, Police
Paul Paskoff, Police
Explanation
§ The Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Program offers $137 million to law enforcement agencies to hire and/or rehire law enforcement officers in an effort to increase community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts.
§ The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) requests authorization to submit a grant application to fund 15 new police officer positions, which is the maximum number allowed for agencies serving populations under 1,000,000.
§ The officer positions would increase the capacity of CMPD to implement community policing strategies that strengthen partnerships for safer Charlotte neighborhoods and enhance CMPD’s capacity to prevent, solve, and control crime through the funding of these additional 15 officers.
§ The U.S. Department of Justice COPS Office will notify grant awardees by January 1, 2018.
- If CMPD is awarded grant funding, CMPD will hire the 15 new police officers in FY 2019.
- It takes CMPD approximately six months to manage the vetting process of police officer applicants for the identification and selection of 15 new police officers.
§ The grant application deadline is July 10, 2017. If this grant is awarded to CMPD, Council will be asked to accept and appropriate funding.
§ Per grant requirements, grant proceeds cannot be used to cover previously funded positions.
§ Per the City Council grant policy, applications must be approved prior to submission.
§ This initiative aligns with the Community Letter.
Grant Provisions
§ The COPS grant will cover up to 75% of the entry-level salary and fringe benefits of each newly hired full-time sworn officer over the three-year award period, with a minimum 25% local cash match requirement and maximum federal share of $125,000 per officer position.
§ The City must also fund equipment and training for the new officers.
§ The City must agree to retain all positions added as a result of the grant for a minimum of one year after the grant funding ends.
- The retention period for each position is based upon the actual hire date.
§ At the end of the grant period, the City’s number of police officer allocations must remain at the increased level after the addition of the 15 new officers.
Funding
§ The total cost for the new officers from Fiscal Year 2019 through Fiscal Year 2021 is estimated to be $3,696,027
§ The Federal share is $1,874,924.
§ In the grant period, the City share of personnel and operating costs will be approximately:
- FY 2019: $597,825
- FY 2020: $382,740
- FY 2021: $617,338
§ In addition, the City will fund capital cost (vehicles) of $223,200
§ The grant expires after three years.
§ Beginning FY 2022, ongoing annual total personnel and operating costs are estimated to be $1,188,757 per year.
§ The previous COPS Hiring Grant was in FY 2016 for 15 officers. The amount of the grant award was $1,875,000.
Fiscal Note
Funding: COPS Grant and Police Operating Budget