| TRAFICANT, James A., Jr., |
Youngstown, Ohio – U.S. Rep. James A. Traficant, Jr. (D–OH) announced today that the Trumbull County Sheriff's Department and police departments in Beaver Township and Howland Township have been awarded a total of $324,153 in federal law enforcement grants. The grants were made by the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) through the COPS MORE program.
The COPS MORE program is designed to allow police departments to acquire equipment and technology, as well as hire civilians, which in turn free up more officer time for community policing. The program allows departments to move police officers out from behind desks and onto the streets.
The Trumbull County Sheriff's Department was awarded a grant of $207,879 to purchase equipment. The grant will allow the department to place at least eight more officers on the street. The Beaver Township police department was awarded a $32,000 equipment grant, allowing the department to shift at least one additional officer to community police work. The Howland Township police department was awarded an equipment grant of $84,274, allowing the township to redeploy at least three more officers to community policing. The grants will cover 75 percent of the cost of the equipment.