[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 212 (Thursday, November 3, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-27201]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: November 3, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Office of Community-Oriented Policing Services

 

FY 1995 Community Policing Discretionary Grants

AGENCY: Office of Community-Oriented Policing Services, Department of 
Justice.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Justice, Office of Community-Oriented 
Policing Services (``COPS'') announces the availability of grants for 
the hiring of law enforcement officers under COPS Accelerated Hiring, 
Education and Deployment (``COPS AHEAD'') and the COPS Funding 
Accelerated for Smaller Towns Application (``COPS FAST Application''). 
Eligible applicants under COPS AHEAD are those state, local and other 
public law enforcement agencies, Indian tribal governments, other 
public and private entities, and multi-jurisdictional or regional 
consortia that employ sworn law enforcement officers and that serve a 
population of 50,000 or more individuals. Eligible agencies under the 
COPS FAST Application are those agencies serving populations of fewer 
than 50,000 persons.

DATES: Letters of intent to participate in COPS AHEAD must be sent to 
the COPS Office postmarked no later than November 10, 1994. COPS FAST 
Applications will be available by November 1, 1994 and completed 
applications must be received by the COPS Office no later than December 
31, 1994.

ADDRESSES: Letters of intent to participate in COPS AHEAD and completed 
applications should be addressed to Director, COPS Program, P.O. Box 
14440, Washington, DC 20044. Letters of intent may be sent by 
telecopier to (202) 514-9272.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Department of Justice Crime Bill 
Response Center, (202) 307-1480 or 1-800-421-6770, or David Hayeslip or 
Craig Uchida, Office of Community-Oriented Policing Services, U.S. 
Department of Justice, 633 Indiana Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20531, 
(202) 514-2058.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Overview

    The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (Pub. L. 
103-322) authorizes the Department of Justice to make grants for the 
hiring or rehiring of law enforcement officers to participate in 
community policing. COPS AHEAD and the COPS FAST Application are 
approaches developed by the Department of Justice to speed the 
deployment of new officers devoted to community policing on the streets 
and rural routes of this nation.

COPS AHEAD for Populations of 50,000 and Over

    The COPS AHEAD program permits eligible agencies serving a 
population of 50,000 or more individuals to select and train up to a 
maximum of 3 percent of their actual level of sworn officers as of 
October 1, 1994, prior to submission and approval of a COPS grant 
application. Funding will begin once the new officers have been sown 
and a satisfactory grant application has been submitted and approved. 
Grants will be made for up to 75 percent of the total salary and 
benefits of each officer over three years, up to a maximum of $75,000 
per officer, with the remainder to be paid by state or local funds. If 
funding requests exceed the funds available under COPS AHEAD, the 
maximum amount or starting date of grants may be adjusted to 
accommodate demand.
    A law enforcement agency interested in participating in COPS AHEAD 
must send a letter of intent to the address identified above postmarked 
no later than November 10, 1994. The COPS Office expects to confirm the 
eligibility of applicants and proposed funding levels no later than 
November 21, 1994. Officers proposed to be funded under COPS AHEAD must 
be hired no later than the agency's first class starting in 1995.
    At the time that proposed funding levels are confirmed, a formal 
grant application will be sent which will request information 
concerning the agency's strategic community policing plan for the use 
of the officers that have been approved to be hired, budget plans and 
projections, and other information to enable the COPS Office to confirm 
compliance with grant conditions.
    An application or grant award under COPS AHEAD will not affect the 
consideration of an agency's application for a grant under any other 
COPS program. An agency that receives funding under COPS Phase I is 
eligible to receive additional funding under COPS AHEAD if the combined 
hiring under both programs does not exceed 3 percent of the actual 
October 1, 1994 force level.

COPS FAST Application for Populations Under 50,000

    The COPS FAST Application dramatically simplifies the process of 
applying for a federal grant. The FAST Application is a one-page, fill-
in-the-blank form that requests basic identifying information about the 
agency, the number of police officers currently on the force and the 
number of new officers requested, basic financial information and an 
agreement to abide by standard legal requirements. Applications will be 
available by November 1, 1994, and will be mailed to all eligible 
agencies. Completed applications will be due to the COPS Office by 
December 31, 1994. The COPS Office will advise applicants of an 
authorized hiring level by February 1, 1995. Before funding may begin, 
jurisdictions designated for funding will be required to submit 
necessary budget information and a brief description of community 
policing plans. Technical assistance with the development of policing 
plans will be provided to jurisdictions in need of such assistance. 
Funding will begin once the new officers have been sworn. Grants will 
be made for up to 75 percent of the total salary and benefits of each 
officer over three years, subject to a maximum of $75,000 per officer.
    Through the COPS FAST Application, the COPS program will provide up 
to $165 million in grants this fiscal year to state, local and other 
public law enforcement agencies. If requests exceed the funds 
available, the amount or starting date of grants may be adjusted to 
accommodate demand. An award under COPS FAST will not affect the 
consideration of an agency's application for a grant under any other 
COPS program. An agency that receives funding under COPS Phase I is 
eligible to receive additional funding under COPS FAST.

General Comments

    COPS grant funds may not be used to replace funds that eligible 
agencies otherwise would have devoted to future office hiring. In other 
words, any hiring under COPS AHEAD or the COPS FAST Application must be 
addition to, and not in lieu of, officers that otherwise would have 
been hired. In hiring new officers, agencies may not reduce the scope 
of their customer screening and training procedures, and must include 
community policing principles and methods in their training curricula. 
In addition, to the extent practicable, COPS grant funds should be used 
to increase the representation of women and racial and ethnic 
minorities within the ranks of sworn officers.
    In light of the expedited nature of these approaches, the time 
frames responses from interested agencies are relatively short. A 
complete description of program requirements will be contained in the 
application kits. Additional COPS grant programs will be announced in 
the near future.

    Dated: October 21, 1994.
John R. Schmidt,
Associate Attorney General.
[FR Doc. 94-27201 Filed 11-2-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-01-M