[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 120 (Thursday, June 20, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31549-31550]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-15701]



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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE


Office of Community Oriented Policing Services; FY 1996 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 to 
hire and/or rehire additional sworn law enforcement officers to engage 
in community policing. The COPS Universal Hiring Program permits 
interested agencies to supplement their current sworn forces or 
jurisdictions to establish a policing agency. Eligible applicants 
include State, local, and Indian policing agencies, jurisdictions 
seeking to establish a new policing agency and other agencies serving 
specialized jurisdictions, such as transit, housing, college, school, 
or natural resources.

DATES: COPS Universal Hiring Program Application Kits will be available 
in mid-June 1996. There will be three application deadlines for the 
Universal Hiring Program: July 15, 1996, for Round 1; August 15, 1996, 
for Round 2; and September 15, 1996, for Round 3. Applications not 
funded in Rounds 1 and 2 will be carried over to subsequent rounds.

ADDRESSES: COPS Universal Hiring Program Application Kits will be 
mailed

[[Page 31550]]

to all eligible agencies or may be obtained by writing to COPS 
Universal Hiring Program, 1100 Vermont Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 
20530, or by calling the Department of Justice Response Center, (202) 
307-1480 or 1-800-421-6770, or the full application kit is also 
available on the COPS Office web site at: http://www.usdoj.gov/cops. 
Completed applications should be sent to COPS Universal Hiring Program, 
COPS Office, 1100 Vermont Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20530.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
The Department of Justice Crime Bill Response Center, (202) 307-1480 or 
1-800-421-6770.

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 engage in community 
policing. The COPS Universal Hiring Program permits interested agencies 
to supplement their current sworn forces or to establish a new policing 
agency, through grants for up to three years. All policing agencies, as 
well as jurisdictions considering establishing new policing agencies, 
are eligible to apply for this program. In addition, policing agencies 
serving specialized jurisdictions, such as transit, housing, college, 
school, natural resources, and others, are eligible to apply for this 
program.
    There are three application deadlines for this program: July 15, 
1996, for Round 1; August 15, 1996, for Round 2; and September 15, 
1996, for Round 3. Departments may apply before any one of the 
deadlines and equal consideration will be given to applications in any 
round. Applications which are not funded in Round 1 or 2 will be 
carried over the subsequent rounds.
    All applicants will be asked to provide basic community policing 
and planning information for their area of jurisdiction. In addition, 
new applicants serving jurisdictions of 50,000 and over, as well as all 
those jurisdictions seeking to establish a department and agencies 
serving specialized jurisdictions (such as transit, housing, college, 
school, or natural resources), will be asked to provide additional 
information relating to the applicant's community policing plan, local 
community policing initiatives and strategies, local community support 
for the applicant's community policing plans, and plans for retaining 
the officers at the end of the grant period. In addition to the 
requested community policing information, all applicants will be asked 
to submit a streamlined budget summary containing information relating 
to planned hiring levels, salary and fringe benefits, and decreasing 
federal share requirements. The COPS Universal Hiring Program 
Application offers two alternative budget worksheets which are tailored 
to the number of officers requested by each applicant; applicants 
requesting five or fewer officers will complete one budget worksheet 
for each officer, while applicants requesting more than five officers 
will complete a single budget worksheet based on the average yearly 
cost per officer.
    Grants will be made for up to 75 percent of the total entry-level 
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 of local 
funds. Waivers of the non-federal matching requirement may be requested 
under this program, but will be granted only upon a showing of 
extraordinary fiscal hardship. Grant funds may be used only for entry-
level salaries and benefits. Funding will begin once the new officers 
have been hired or on the date of the award, whichever is later, and 
will be paid over the course of the grant.
    In hiring new officers with a COPS Universal Hiring Program grant, 
grantees must follow standard local recruitment and selection 
procedures. All personnel hired under this program will be required to 
be trained in community policing. In addition, all personnel hired 
under this program must be in addition to, and not in lieu of, other 
hiring plans of the grantees.
    An award under the COPS Universal Hiring Program will not affect 
the eligibility of an agency for a grant under any other COPS program

    The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance reference number for 
this program is 16.710.

    Dated: June 7, 1996.
Joseph E. Brann,
Director.
[FR Doc. 96-15701 Filed 6-19-96; 8:45 am]
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