Law Enforcement Agencies, Hiring Scandal, Georgia 2023

ATLANTA – In a shocking turn of events, the Justice Department announced today that it will be awarding over $139 million in grant funding to 183 law enforcement agencies across the nation through the COPS Office’s COPS Hiring Program (CHP).

The funding, which totals $827,258 in the Northern District of Georgia, will enable law enforcement agencies to hire 1,066 additional full-time law enforcement professionals. This move is seen as a major step in the fight against crime and in advancing community policing.

According to sources, the COPS Office’s flagship program, the COPS Hiring Program, will provide direct funding to law enforcement agencies to hire new or rehire additional career law enforcement officers.

Of the 183 agencies awarded grants today, approximately half will use the funding to focus on building legitimacy and trust between law enforcement and communities; 41 agencies will seek to address high rates of gun violence; 21 will focus on other areas of violence; and 19 will focus on combating hate and domestic extremism or supporting police-based responses to persons in crisis.

The City of Lithonia, Georgia, received an award of $827,258, in the Northern District of Georgia. This funding will enable the city to hire additional law enforcement officers to support community policing efforts.

Since its creation in 1994, COPS has invested more than $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local and Tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of more than 135,000 officers.

The COPS Office is the federal component of the Department of Justice responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. The only Department of Justice agency with policing in its name, the COPS Office was established in 1994 and has been the cornerstone of the nation’s crime fighting strategy with grants, a variety of knowledge resource products, and training and technical assistance.

For further information, please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.

Related Federal Cases