Public Safety Partnership and Community Policing Grants (16.710)
Program
16.710 Public Safety Partnership and Community Policing Grants
Federal Agency
OFFICE OF COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICING SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Authorization
Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, 42 U.S.C. 3796, as amended; Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, Title I, Part Q, Public Law 103-322.
Program Number
16.710
Last Known Status
Active
Objectives
Grants are to be made to increase police presence and improve cooperative efforts between law enforcement agencies and members of the community; to expand community policing efforts through the use of technology and other innovative strategies; to increase security and reduce violence in our nation's schools; to address crime and disorder problems; and to otherwise enhance public safety.
Types of Assistance
Project Grants.
Uses and Use Restrictions
As originally authorized, the grantor agency may use at least 85 percent of program funds to hire or rehire career law enforcement officers and procure equipment and/or technology (if such expenditures can be shown to result in an increase of officers deployed in community oriented policing because of time savings achieved from the equipment or technology); up to 15 percent of program funds may be used for grants that support programs or projects to (a) increase the number of officers involved in activities focused on interaction with members of the community on proactive crime control and prevention, (b) provide specialized training to officers to enhance conflict resolution, mediation, problem solving, service and other skills needed to work in partnership with members of the community, (c) increase police participation in multidisciplinary early intervention teams, (d) develop new technologies to assist State and local law enforcement agencies in reorienting the emphasis of their activities from reacting to crime to preventing crime, (e) develop and implement innovative programs to permit members of the community to assist law enforcement agencies in the prevention of crime, including programs to increase the level of access to the criminal justice system utilized by victims, witnesses and ordinary citizens, (f) establish innovative programs to minimize the time that officers must be away from the community while awaiting court appearances, (g) establish innovative programs to increase proactive crime control and prevention programs involving officers and young persons, (h) establish new administrative and managerial systems to facilitate the adoption of community-oriented policing as an organization-wide philosophy, (i) establish and coordinate crime prevention and control programs (involving law enforcement officers working with community members) with other Federal programs that serve the community and its members to better address their comprehensive needs, and (j) support the purchase by a law enforcement agency of no more than one service weapon per officer newly deployed in community-oriented policing. Three percent of program funds may be used to provide technical assistance, training, research or other studies in support of program objectives.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicant Eligibility
States, units of local government, Indian tribal governments, other public and private entities, and multi-jurisdictional or regional consortia thereof.
Beneficiary Eligibility
States, units of local government, Indian tribal governments, other public and private entities, and multi-jurisdictional or regional consortia thereof.
Credentials/Documentation
None.
Application and Award Process
Preapplication Coordination
This program is eligible for coverage under E.O. 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for review.
Application Procedure
Applicant submits application and budget forms prescribed by the grantor agency and approved by OMB, as well as other required documentation (including required assurances, certifications, retention information, lobbying, etc.) outlined in the Application Kit. Application Kits are available from the grantor agency. At the time of submission, an original and two copies of the application are required with original signatures of both the Law Enforcement and Government Executive.
Award Procedure
Upon approval by the Director, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, award notification letters will be sent to grantees. The grant award must be signed by a duly authorized representative and returned to the designated office within 90 days of the award mail date.
Deadlines
Application deadlines vary among grant programs and are noted on grant application materials. Contact the grantor agency for specific application deadlines.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time
Appeals
See 28 C.F.R. Part 18.
Renewals
Hiring awards are made for 3 years. Technology awards and awards for other purposes, are generally for one year. Renewals and/or extensions may be available under some grant programs and will be considered on a case-by-case basis. If available, extensions should be requested not sooner than 90 days prior to the expiration of the original project period.
Assistance Considerations
Formula and Matching Requirements
Hiring grants under the COPS Universal Hiring Program are made for an amount up to 75 percent of salary and benefits per officer, up to a maximum of $75,000 per officer. In the case of the COPS in Schools Grant Program, awards are made for an amount up to a maximum of $125,000 per officer, with no local percentage match required. Other awards generally are made for 75 percent of allowable project costs. Innovative grant programs may cover 100 percent of the total project cost, up to a maximum amount as specified in the application, with no local match required. Unless the requirement of a nonfederal share is waived, nonfederal funds must pay the difference. The nonfederal share of hiring grants must increase year-to-year over the grant period.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance
Hiring grants are awarded for a 3-year period. The grant period for other grants is generally one year. Assistance is released on a reimbursement or limited advance basis.
Post Assistance Requirements
Reports
Annual programmatic reports and quarterly financial status will be required as stipulated in the effective edition of the relevant Grant Owner's Manual distributed by the grantor agency. Other reporting requirements, such as a final progress report may also be imposed depending on the grant program.
Audits
In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133, as amended, all grantees that expend Federal financial assistance of $300,000 or more during the fiscal year shall have an audit made for the year. Grantees receiving less than $300,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements, but records must be retained and available for review by appropriate officials of the Federal grantor agency.
Records
Financial records, supporting documents, and all other records pertinent to a grant shall be retained for a period of three years following the conclusion of Federal assistance.
Program Accomplishments
In fiscal year 2001, COPS received 4,388 applications. A total of 1,851 grants were awarded, and some applications were carried over for funding consideration in the next fiscal year. FY 01 awards funded the hiring or redeployment of additional career law enforcement and school resource officers, practicing community policing, throughout the nation. Other funded programs in FY 01 included Methamphetamine, Technology, and Safe Schools Initiatives, the Police Integrity program, and the Tribal Resource Grant Program.
Financial Information
Account Identification
15-0404-0-1-754.
Obligations
(Grants) FY 02 $608,349,000; FY 03 est $607,641,000; and FY 04 est $137,625,000.
Range and Average of Financial Assistance
As of fiscal year 2001, Awards ranged from $1,275 to $24,107,220. The average award was approximately $283,656.
Regulations, Guidelines and Literature
Application Kits and current edition of M7100.1, which are available from Headquarters.
Related Programs
16.711, Troops to COPS.
Information Contacts
Regional or Local Office
None.
Headquarters Office
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, 1100 Vermont Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20530. Telephone: U.S. Department of Justice Response Center: 1-800-421-6770, or (202) 307-1480. Direct applications to: COPS Office, 1100 Vermont Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20530. Send to the attention of the control desk for the specific program name.
Web Site Address
Examples of Funded Projects
Since 1995, funded projects include the hiring of additional officers to engage in community policing under the COPS Phase I, COPS FAST, COPS AHEAD, Universal Hiring and the Cops in Schools programs. Hiring grants per agency supported the addition of 1 to 200 positions in 2001 and 1 to 3,500 new officers since 1995. Under the COPS MORE programs (MORE 95, 96, 98, 2000, 2001), 5,576 grants were made for the acquisition of technology and equipment, the hiring of civilian support resources, and, in the case of MORE '95 only, for the payment of overtime to redeploy in a cost-effective manner, sworn officers to community policing activities. In FY 01, the Tribal Resource Grant Program provided 157 grants to Federally recognized Indian tribes that offered broad based funding to enhance personnel and other resources. Additionally, 99 Technology earmark grants were awarded and 19 sites were funded under the Methamphetamine Initiative. Prior COPS funded projects include 117 agencies under the Advancing Community Policing grant program, 15 jurisdictions under an anti-gang initiative, 10 innovative strategies to combat firearms violence, 443 grants for problem solving and partnership development 275 grants for school based partnerships, 366 jurisdictions funded to address domestic violence through community policing strategies, 19 sites funded for domestic violence testing, research and evaluation, 25 sites funded for domestic violence training, and an additional 16 sites for a specially sanctioned project in Washington State. Eighteen sites were funded under the Distressed Neighborhoods Pilot Project and 774 jurisdictions received assistance under the Small Community Grant Program.
Criteria for Selecting Proposals
General criteria for selecting proposals are set forth in the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, Public Law 103-322. Additional criteria may be developed by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services and will be published in the Federal Register and COPS application materials.
