WASHINGTON - The Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) today announced nearly $8 million in funding to advance the practice of community policing in law enforcement. Community Policing Development (CPD) program funds are used to develop the capacity of law enforcement to implement community policing by providing guidance on promising practices through the development and testing of innovative strategies; building knowledge about effective practices and outcomes; and supporting new, creative approaches to preventing crime and promoting safe communities. The COPS Office also announced a new $8.5 million award under the Preparing for Active Shooter Situations (PASS) program to the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Center at Texas State University to provide multi-disciplinary, scenario-based active shooter training to first responders.

“One of the top priorities of the Department of Justice is to keep communities safe from violent crime,” said COPS Office Director Phil Keith. “The two grant programs announced today will promote promising best practices to advance community policing, which is a proven public safety approach, and provide much-needed training against active shooters, which remain a constant threat to the citizens of this great country.”

Highlights of today’s 24 CPD awards include $500,000 to the International Association of Chiefs of Police to document and advance victim support services; $1.3 million to the University of Tennessee to establish a rural law enforcement training center; and $500,000 to Movement Forward, which is a national law enforcement and faith-based partnership program. Additionally, $1.3 million is being awarded in partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to expand training opportunities for officers and create updated resource guides for law enforcement on safe and effective vehicular pursuits. The full list of awards is available on the COPS Office website at: https://cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/2020AwardDocs/cpd/Award_List.pdf.

Since 2017, COPS Office funding through the PASS program has provided active shooter training for approximately 53,000 first responders across the nation. The additional $8.5 million announced today will fund training for roughly 20,000 additional first responders. Additional information about the PASS program can be found here: https://cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/2020AwardDocs/pass/Award_List.pdf.

The COPS Office is the federal component of the Department of Justice responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1994, the COPS Office 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 134,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training and technical assistance.

The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.

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