[Press Release] : FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Grant funding allows for additional Columbia police officers

[Press Releases]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Deputy Chief Jill Schulde
(573)874-7421 

or

Steven Sapp, Community Relations Director
(573) 874-7257

Grant funding allows for additional Columbia police officers

COLUMBIA, MO (December 29, 2016) - The Columbia City Council will consider a bill to accept a grant from the United States Department of Justice to fund four new police officers during their meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 3.

The City of Columbia Police Department applied for the COPS Hiring Program Grant through the United States Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) in June 2016.

COPS Hiring Program awarded the Columbia Police Department the grant on Oct. 3, 2016. Â This grant allows funding for four new police officer positions, to preferably be filled with post-Sept. 11, 2001 military veterans. If there are insufficient post-Sept 11, 2001 military veteran applicants, the positions may be filled with non-veteran applicants. The newly hired grant funded officers may be assigned directly to the Community Outreach Unit (COU) or may be used to fill vacancies created by more experienced officers being re-deployed to the COU. The four additional COU officers will focus on violent crime, specifically gun violence and gang-related criminal activities.

"This grant will have a positive impact on our community's public safety," said Mayor Brian Treece. "Adding four officers through this grant, in addition to the four officers we budgeted for this year, shows the council and staff's commitment to increasing the number of police officers on the street."

The contract period for this grant is Sept. 1, 2016 through Aug. 31, 2019. The COPS Hiring Program (CHP) grant will provide $500,000 towards the cost of the four new officers' salaries and benefits for three years, with the remaining $353,606 to be paid by the City of Columbia. As part of the local match requirement for the 2016 COPS Hiring Program, the grantee (City of Columbia) must assume a progressively larger share of the cost of the officers with local funds over the three-year grant period. Â Year one local match will be 20 percent or $70,721, year two will be 30 percent or $106,082, and year three will be 50 percent or $176,803. In addition, the City of Columbia must retain the additional positions awarded for a minimum of 12 months at the conclusion of federal funding with an investment of $284.536.

The four new Community Outreach Officers will respond and concentrate in areas of Columbia experiencing violent crime and/or gang activity. Â They are in addition to the existing Community Outreach Officers but will not be assigned to a particular section of town. In the City fiscal year of 2017, with the grant, eight new officers will be added to the patrol totals.

Fiscal impacts:

Short-term impact: For fiscal year 2017 (year one), Police Federal Revenues will increase by the federal share of the grant ($213,814), the cost to the Police personnel/supplies and materials budget will be $110,413 ($70,721 for salary/benefits and $39,692 for one-time cost of equipment/uniforms for the new positions that is not covered by the grant). This will be paid out of personnel savings from vacancies in fiscal year 2017. For fiscal year 2018 (year two), Police Federal Revenues will increase by the federal share of the grant ($178,454), the cost to the Police personnel budget will be $106,082 and will be included in the fiscal year 2018 budget process.

Long-term impact: For fiscal year 2019 (year three), Police Federal Revenues will increase by the federal share of the grant ($107,732), the cost to the Police personnel budget will be $176,803. For fiscal year 2020 (year four), the cost to the Police personnel budget will be $284,536. These amounts will be included in the budget process for those years.


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