The DOJ announced Thursday (November 18) that grants totaling $139 million will go to nearly 200 police departments throughout the nation.
“We are committed to providing police departments with the resources needed to help ensure community safety and building community trust,” US Attorney General Merrick Garland said in the announcement.
“The grants we are announcing today will enable law enforcement agencies across the country to hire more than 1,000 additional officers to support vitally important community-oriented policing programs.”
The funds are coming from the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office and COPS Hiring Program, which has funneled more than $14 billion to local police departments since the beginning of 1994.
According to The Hill, the money will fund the hiring of 1,066 new officers and supply departments for create community programs to combat gun violence, hate crimes, and domestic violence.
Advocates raised eyebrows at the announcement, after the US Department of Health & Human Services announced last month that the Biden-Harris Administration allocated just $15 million to creating mobile crisis intervention programs.
The round-the-clock crisis intervention services would deploy specialists to provide emergency treatment to individuals experiencing mental health crises or the effects of substance abuse disorders –– who too often have deadly encounters with police.
Cities around the country have started using this approach and it’s been working.
$139M for the police.
Only $15M for the alternatives.https://t.co/CbWuNUfiV0 https://t.co/Aomcrbu0s8 pic.twitter.com/imstTUPWy3
— Samuel Sinyangwe (@samswey) November 18, 2021
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