Feds award $875K to Fla. sheriff's officer for 'community policing' deputies

By Kevin P. Connolly
Orlando Sentinel

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orange County Sheriff's Office just snagged a $875,000 federal grant to put more deputies on the streets.

The award, announced this week, is part of more than $100 million in grants agencies across the country will receive through the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.

The office of U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Orlando, said the grant for the Orange County Sheriff's Office will pay for seven more deputies as part of a larger strategy known as community policing.

"This has long been a top priority of Sheriff Jerry Demings, and I'm proud to help him in that vital mission," Grayson said in a statement.

Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch announced the awards Monday, saying the money — $107 million — will go to more than 200 police agencies and will create or protect more than 866 law-enforcement positions. Each award is for a three-year period.

Seven police agencies in Florida received grants through the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, commonly known by the acronym COPS. The largest Florida award went to the Miami-Dade Police Department, which received $3.125 million.

The Tallahassee Police Department is getting $1.875 million, making it the second-largest award in the Sunshine State. The Orange County Sheriff's Office landed the state's third-largest grant.

"I've been a champion of community-based policing long before I was elected to office. And this COPS grant will allow me to continue employing this vital tool, one that not only keeps our community safe, but let's us connect more closely with those we serve every day," Demings said in a statement.

Elsewhere in Central Florida, South Daytona police received $125,000. Rockledge's agency is getting $221,000. The other Florida grant winners are sheriff's offices for Hillsborough and Henry counties.

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