PROVIDENCE, RI – U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and U.S. Representatives David Cicilline and James Langevin today announced the Providence Police Department is receiving $1.35 million to add 5 more police officers to patrols this year.
Administered by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office, this COPS Hiring Program (CHP) grant will help put more police officers on the streets, reduce crime, and help the city fill budget gaps.
“This is another effort by the delegation to assist Providence. These additional federal resources will help keep more police officers on the beat and keep criminals off the streets,” said the four members of the Congressional delegation in a joint statement.
The Providence Police Department has over 400 sworn officers and more than 90 civilian employees.
To date, Rhode Island communities have received over $50 million from the COPS program to help hire hundreds of new police officers.
The COPS Hiring Program, started under former President Bill Clinton, provides funds directly to law enforcement agencies to hire, preserve, and/or rehire police officers and helps local police departments increase their community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts.
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