Grant awarded for new officers

Twenty new police officers will be assigned to Oklahoma schools, thanks to a $1.7 million dollar grant from the Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. The grant is

Wednesday, December 22nd 1999, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Twenty new police officers will be assigned to Oklahoma schools, thanks to a $1.7 million dollar grant from the Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. The grant is part of $75 million in grants awarded nationwide through the COPS in Schools program, which funds the hiring of community policing officers to work in primary and secondary schools.

The program is part of the Clinton administration's initiative to add 100,000 officers to the beat and advance community policing nationwide. Community policing is a crime-fighting strategy that encourages law enforcement to work in partnership with the community to solve crime problems. Grants provide up to $125,000 to pay the salary and benefits of each new officer over three years.

In Oklahoma, grants were awarded to: Adair County, $70,252 for one officer; Konowa Police Department, $44,499 for one officer; Mannford Police Department, $76,653 for one officer; Oklahoma County Sheriff's Department, $554,700 for five officers; Sand Springs Police Department, $314,915 for three officers; Seminole County Sheriff's Department, $411,210 for six officers; city of Seminole, $69,106 for one officer; city of Wewoka, $62,526 for one officer; and city of Wilson, $86,840 for one officer.