City receives grant to provide funding for 15 police officers

From press release

The United States Department of Justice informed Rockford Mayor Larry Morrissey (I) the Rockford Police Department (RPD) will receive a COPS Hiring Recovery Program (CHRP) grant award of an estimated $3,547,170 awarded over a three-year period, which should fund 15 officer positions. The grant award, which does not require any type of matching funds from the city, is designed to provide police agencies the ability to implement or enhance community policing activities.

“We are honored to have been considered and awarded 15 police officers in the COPS Hiring Recovery Grant Award,” Morrissey said upon hearing of the grant. “This award will assist our Police Department in its ability to continue community policing efforts and move to geographic-based policing.”

Department officials will work closely with the City of Rockford Finance Department to determine the final details of the award. Initial predictions of the city’s overall 2009 budget shortfall had initiated discussion regarding the possibility of layoffs in the RPD. City leaders now hope this grant could fill the financial gap in the department’s budget, eliminating the immediate need to lay off police officers. Police Chief Chet Epperson predicts the specifics on the implementation of the grant and budget shortfall should be announced shortly.