FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 30, 2010
Contact: Will Jennings, 202-226-7625


Arkansas Police Departments Receive Funding To Hire 11 New Officers

Washington – U.S. Senators Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor and U.S. Representatives Marion Berry (AR-01), Vic Snyder (AR-02), and Mike Ross (AR-04) today announced that six Arkansas police departments will receive a total of $1,650,671 to create or preserve jobs for 11 officers.

The funds are provided through the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS).

The funds will be distributed as follows:

City of Fort Smith, $351,984 for two officers
City of England, $137,781 for one officer
City of Greers Ferry, $134,169 for one officer
Jacksonville Police Department, $511,545 for three officers
Prescott Police Department, $146,108 for one officer
Russellville Police Department, $369,084 for three officers

“Keeping crime to a minimum can be a challenge for police departments on a tight budget. With these funds, Arkansas police departments will be able to hire additional qualified officers to help keep our communities safe for residents and visitors. Not only will the assistance help protect our local communities, it will also support local jobs, which remains my top priority. I’ll continue to fight for Arkansas to ensure that we have the federal resources and support we need to stay safe and strong,” said Lincoln.

“Local police officers are on the front lines in the effort to keep our communities safe.  These federal funds will create good jobs and put more cops on the streets so we can better protect Arkansans,” Pryor said.

“For every job we can create or save in our law enforcement we are ensuring the communities protected will be safer places for families and their children to live,” Berry said. “These are the brave people that are out there every day protecting Arkansans, so I believe their jobs are ones we should continue to fund and fight for.”

“Hiring additional police officers and keeping our communities safe is a win-win for Arkansas,” said Snyder.  “I am pleased that the Jacksonville Police Department will be receiving this COPS funding.”

“Our communities depend on local law enforcement having the resources they need to keep our families safe,” said Ross.  “These public investments will create and save jobs as we continually work to ensure our first responders have the necessary personnel and tools to quickly answer the needs of their residents.”

COPS 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 vacancies or for rehired officers who have been laid off or are scheduled to be laid off 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.

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