CRANSTON, RI - U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) today announced that the Cranston Police Department will get 7 more officers to help patrol the streets thanks to a $1.49 million grant from the federal government. Administered by the U.S. Department of Justice's Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office, this COPS Hiring Program (CHP) grant will help pay for three years of salary and benefits for seven officers in Cranston.

"Our police officers work hard every day to keep our neighborhoods safe, and I am committed to ensuring they have the tools and resources they need to get the job done," said Reed, a member of the Appropriations subcommittee which oversees COPS funding. "I commend the Cranston Police Department for winning this competitive grant and for working closely with the community and other agencies, including schools and social services, to develop effective community policing programs."

Mayor Allan Fung commented, "In these tough fiscal times, we must continue to seek alternative funding to ensure that we can maintain a level of public safety that the people of our City deserve. I commend the efforts of our Police Department to obtain this funding and Senator Reed and his staff for working so diligently on our behalf."

Colonel Marco Palombo said, "Each member of the agency has worked tirelessly to implement the community policing model that made this possible. We know that it works. The news today only confirms for them how much the public values those efforts. We were especially fortunate to have such great support from our elected officials in this endeavor.
This is most welcomed news for our residents and our department."

Senator Reed helped pass legislation creating the COPS program, which over the years has provided $48.1 million to allow local police departments across the state to hire 418 new police officers. Last year, Reed helped secure an additional $6.5 million in COPS funding for Rhode Island through the Recovery Act to hire 26 police officers in communities across the state, including Providence, Pawtucket, Woonsocket, and Central Falls.

"The COPS program has continually proven to be a success in Rhode Island and communities throughout the nation. I am grateful for the work that these brave men and women do to protect communities across Rhode Island and will continue to fight for COPS funding," concluded Reed.

COPS 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.

CHP also provides 100 percent funding for approved entry-level salaries and benefits for three years (36 months) for newly-hired, full-time sworn officer positions (including filling existing unfunded vacancies) or for rehired officers who have been laid off, or are scheduled to be laid off on a future date, as a result of local budget cuts. Any additional costs above the approved entry-level salaries and fringe benefits are the responsibility of the grantee agency.