[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 18 (Tuesday, January 28, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4078-4079]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-2038]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE


Office of Community Oriented Policing Services; FY 1997 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 are currently 
available. There will be three application deadlines for the Universal 
Hiring Program: March 14, 1997, June 13, 1997 and August 1, 1997.

ADDRESSES: COPS Universal Hiring Program Application Kits 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 application kits 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: March 
14, 1997; June 13, 1997; and August 1, 1997. Departments may apply 
before any one of the deadlines and equal consideration will be given 
to all applications submitted by he same deadlines.
    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 plan, 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 or 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

[[Page 4079]]

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: January 17, 1997.
Joseph E. Brann,
Director.
[FR Doc. 97-2038 Filed 1-27-97; 8:45 am]
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