(Washington, DC)  --  U.S. Rep. Steven C. LaTourette (R-Concord Township) today announced that the Mentor Police Department and fire departments in Hambden and Rome townships have received federal grants totaling more than $272,000.

 LaTourette said the Mentor Police Department was awarded an $82,591 federal grant through the Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing (COPS) program.  The school safety grant is part of the COPS' Secure Our Schools program.  The funding can provide up to 50 percent of the total cost for Mentor to install metal detectors, locks, lighting, and other equipment that can help deter crime in schools, or the city can use the funding to cover 50 percent of the cost of security assessments and training.

 LaTourette said the Hambden Fire Department and Rome Fire Department have also been awarded federal grants under the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG), which is administered through the Department of Homeland Security.

 Hambden will receive $95,903 and Rome will receive $94,240.  Both departments sought funding under the Operations and Safety category, where funding is often used to purchase equipment or pay for training.  The awards were made under the first round of supplemental funding under the Fiscal Year 2005 AFG Program, which has provided nearly $29 million to Ohio fire departments.

 LaTourette said 22 departments in the 14th District have received AFG grants totaling nearly $2 million from Fiscal Year 2005 funding.

 The local share for the AFG program is 10 percent for jurisdictions that serve 50,000 or fewer residents, and 30 percent for departments that serve more than 50,000 residents.  Grants are awarded to paid, volunteer and combination departments.