[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 118 (Tuesday, June 20, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32166-32167]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-14988]
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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, COPS Universal
Hiring Program
AGENCY: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, Department of
Justice.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented
Policing Services (``COPS'') announces the availability of grants to
hire and/or rehire additional sworn law enforcement officers to engage
in community policing. The COPS Universal Hiring Program permits
interested agencies to supplement their current sworn forces or to
establish a new law enforcement agency. Eligible applicants include
State, local, and Indian law enforcement agencies, as well as
jurisdictions seeking to establish a new law enforcement agency and
other agencies serving specialized jurisdictions, such as transit,
housing, college, school, or natural resources. Agencies that have
received funds through COPS AHEAD or COPS FAST need not submit a new
application for additional officers under the COPS Universal Hiring
Program. The COPS Office will contact those grantees separately to
determine their need for additional resources through this program.
DATES: COPS Universal Hiring Program Application Kits will be available
on or about June 10, 1995. There will be three application deadlines
for the Universal Hiring Program: July 31, 1995, for Round 1; October
15, 1995, for Round 2; and March 15, 1996, for Round 3. Funding for
Rounds 2 and 3 is subject to future Congressional appropriations.
Applications not funded in Rounds 1 and 2 will be carried over to
subsequent rounds.
ADDRESSES: COPS Universal Hiring Program Application Kits will be
mailed to all eligible agencies or may be obtained by writing to COPS
Universal Hiring Program, 1100 Vermont Avenue NW., Washington, DC
20530, or by calling the Department of Justice Crime Bill Response
Center, (202) 307-1480 or 1-800-421-6770. Completed COPS Universal
Hiring Program Application Kits should be sent to COPS Universal Hiring
Program, COPS Office, 1100 Vermont Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20530.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:The Department of Justice Crime Bill
Response Center, (202) 307-1480 or 1-800-421-6770.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Violent Crime Control and Law
Enforcement Act of 1994 (Pub. L. 103-322) authorizes the Department of
Justice to make grants for the hiring or rehiring of law enforcement
officers to engage in community policing. The COPS Universal Hiring
Program permits interested agencies to supplement their
[[Page 32167]] current sworn forces or to establish a new law
enforcement agency, through grants for up to three years. All law
enforcement agencies, as well as jurisdictions considering establishing
new law enforcement agencies, are eligible to apply for this program.
In addition, law enforcement agencies serving specialized
jurisdictions, such as transit, housing, college, school, natural
resources, and others, are eligible to apply for this program.
Agencies which had submitted letters of intent or initial
applications under COPS AHEAD or COPS FAST, but were not approved for
funding, will need to submit an application under the COPS Universal
Hiring Program because the COPS Office has not had an opportunity to
review the community policing plans of these agencies. Agencies which
have received grants through the COPS AHEAD or COPS FAST program do not
need to submit a new application to be eligible for funding through the
COPS Universal Hiring Program. These grantees will be contacted
separately by the COPS Office to determine their need for additional
resources through this program.
There are three application deadlines for this program: July 31,
1995, for Round 1; October 15, 1995, for Round 2; and March 15, 1995,
for Round 3. Funding for Rounds 2 and 3 are subject to future
Congressional appropriations. Departments may apply before any one of
the deadlines and equal consideration will be given to applications in
any round. Applications which are not funded in Round 1 or 2 will be
carried over to subsequent rounds.
All applicants will be asked to provide basic community policing
and planning information for their area of jurisdictions. In addition,
new applicants serving jurisdictions of 50,000 and over, as well as all
those jurisdictions seeking to establish a department and agencies
serving specialized jurisdictions (such as transit, housing, college,
school, or natural resources), will be asked to provide additional
information relating to the applicant's community policing plan, local
community policing initiatives and strategies, local community support
for the applicant's community policing plans, and plans for retaining
the officers at the end of the grant period. In addition to the
requested community policing information, all applicants will be asked
to submit a streamlined budget summary containing information relating
to planned hiring levels, salary and fringe benefits, and decreasing
federal share requirements. The COPS Universal Hiring Program
Application offers two alternative budget worksheets which are tailored
to the number of officers requested by each applicant; applicants
requesting five or fewer officers will complete one budget worksheet
for each officer, while applicants requesting more than five officers
will complete a single budget worksheet based on the average yearly
cost per officer.
Grants will be made for up to 75 percent of the total entry-level
salary and benefits of each officer over three years, up to a maximum
of $75,000 per officer, with the remainder to be paid by state or local
funds. Waivers of the non-federal matching requirement may be requested
under this program, but will be granted only upon a showing of
extraordinary fiscal hardship. Grant funds may be used only for entry-
level salaries and benefits. Funding will begin once the new officers
have been hired or on the date of the award, whichever is later, and
will be paid over the course of the grant.
In hiring new officers with a COPS Universal Hiring Program grant,
grantees must follow standard local recruitment and selection
procedures. All personnel hired under this program will be required to
be trained in community policing. In addition, all personnel hired
under this program must be in addition to, and not in lieu of, other
hiring plans of the grantees.
An award under the COPS Universal Hiring Program will not affect
the eligibility of an agency for a grant under any other COPS program.
Dated: June 8, 1995.
Joseph E. Brann,
Director.
[FR Doc. 95-14988 Filed 6-19-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-01-M
