NH Delegation Announces $500K for Local Law Enforcement to Hire Officers
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee that funds the Department of Justice (DOJ), announced today with U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and U.S. Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01) that New Hampshire will receive $500,000 through the DOJ’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Program. The COPS Hiring Program is a competitive grant program that supports state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies’ ability to hire, preserve and/or rehire law enforcement officers and increase community policing efforts. The federal funding announced this week will allow police departments in Laconia and Lincoln to each hire an officer, as well two officers for Dover. More on the announcement is available here.
“I’m thrilled to see Laconia, Lincoln and Dover benefit from the COPS Hiring Program through these new awards to hire additional law enforcement officers. Funding this program is always a top priority for me because of the return we see on investments in New Hampshire law enforcement and community policing efforts across the nation,” said Senator Shaheen, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee that funds the COPS Hiring Program. “As Congress works to finalize government funding legislation for the next fiscal year, I’ll keep working to increase investments for public safety efforts that foster better community relations and provide law enforcement with the resources they need.”
"Our law enforcement officers take tremendous risks in the line of duty day in and day out, and it is vital that our local police departments have the resources that they need to keep us safe," said Senator Hassan. "I am proud to advocate for the COPS grant program, and am glad that Dover, Laconia, and Lincoln are receiving more funding through this program. I will continue working to support Granite State police."
“Ensuring New Hampshire police departments have the resources to hire and retain the personnel they need has been a top priority of mine,” said Representative Kuster. “These crucial federal funds will help local police departments hire additional officers and improve public safety. I’m glad to see this funding headed to our state, and I will continue working to support our law enforcement community.”
“To keep our communities safe, we must ensure our law enforcement has proper funding and resources,” said Representative Pappas. “These funds will support our local departments in hiring additional personnel to improve public safety and reduce crime. I will always fight to bring resources that advance public safety back to New Hampshire.”
As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Chair of the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, Shaheen historically secures robust funding for the COPS Hiring program through the annual government funding process. In the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 government funding legislation released in August, Senator Shaheen worked to add $240.5 million for Office of Justice Programs and COPS Office grant programs to support efforts that improve police-community relations. This is an increase of $39.5 million, or 20 percent, above the enacted FY 2022 funding level and will support programs for law enforcement officer training on de-escalation, implicit bias and crisis intervention, as well as hate crime prevention and community violence intervention programs.
In addition, Shaheen uses her role as a senior appropriator to push for local projects in New Hampshire through the CDS process, including priorities for local law enforcement. The CDS process allows the federal government to invest in policies and programs that provide direct assistance to Granite State communities and help move our nation forward. Shaheen secured $69,047,000 for New Hampshire in the FY 2022 government funding bill that was signed into law. Read more about those here.
Senator Hassan is committed to providing law enforcement officers, first responders, and service members with the support that they need. Last week, Senator Hassan joined Manchester Police Lieutenant Matthew Barter for a ride-along, her latest check-in with New Hampshire law enforcement on ways to support their critical work. The President recently signed into law bipartisan legislation that Senator Hassan cosponsored to support law enforcement officers suffering from PTSD and their families. In August, the Senate passed three bills to increase funding for small police departments by increasing funding for the COPS grant program, and to improve officer training. Senator Hassan also joined her colleagues in introducing legislation to gather greater information on attacks targeting law enforcement and pushed to increase funding for state and local law enforcement. In 2019, bipartisan legislation became law that Senator Hassan cosponsored to help prevent law enforcement officer suicide.
