California Receives Community Policing Grants
The Department of Justice awarded federal funding nationally this week for two programs aimed at helping localities combat crime. Under the COPS Regional Community Policing Institutes program, California will receive $3 million out of the total of $33 million awarded nationwide. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the Sacramento Police Department, and the San Diego Police Department will each receive $1 million of the award. The money will be used for community violence prevention programs, neighborhood revitalization programs, and community problem solving programs.
DOJ also distributed $77 million in grants under the COPS More '96 program, of which California will receive $9.76 million. This program will allow 80 jurisdictions in California to hire civilian personnel or buy more efficient equipment to free up their police officers and allow them to spend more time on the streets.
Although California received about 10% of the total funds allotted, that is still less than its percentage of the U.S. population, which is about 12%.
Regarding the grants to the state, Sen. Barbara Boxer stated that "Community policing programs are big successes in California because they work to actually prevent conflict and crime."

Volume 4, Bulletin 19 -- June 5, 1997