September 30, 2010

Washington, D.C. – Nevada Senator Harry Reid today announced $5.7 million in federal grants to retain and hire police officers as part of the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Program.  The largest portion of the funding, $5,343,776, will go to the North Las Vegas Police Department to hire or re-hire full-time police officers.  Additionally, the Shoshone Tribe will receive $155,815 and Temoak Western Shoshone Law Enforcement Public Safety will receive $189,121 to hire officers and fight crime.
 
“Putting Nevadans back to work is my number-one priority, and the COPS grants will allow these police departments to hire more officers on a full-time basis,” Reid said.  “Every new job created from these grants will help improve our economy and make our communities safer by increasing the presence of law enforcement officers on the streets.”
 
Congress created the COPS program in 1994 to allow local law enforcement agencies to hire additional officers with federal funds.  Senator Reid has supported this program from its inception and worked to expand the program to allow Nevada law enforcement to hire additional officers.  Under the Recovery Act, Nevada received an additional $5 million in COPS funding for hiring public safety officers and over $12 million has been awarded for crime-fighting technologies.