'Vets to cops' grant awards Gloucester City $125,000 for new officer hire

States News Service

GLOUCESTER CITY, N.J. —  Congressman Rob Andrews joined Gloucester City police chief George Berglund to announce that the City will receive a $125,000 federal grant to add a new patrol officer to its force Friday. 

Awarded through the Department of Justice COPS Hiring Program (CHP), the annual grant bolsters public safety by providing local law enforcement agencies with federal aid to hire new officers or rehire those who were recently laid off due to budget cuts. As an added feature to this year's grant, the program requires any new hire to have at least 180 days of active service in the U.S. military that dates anytime after the attacks of September 11, 2001. Also, the veteran must have been honorably discharged to be eligible. The CHP grant pays for 75 percent of the officer's entry-level salary and benefits for three years.

"This grant is designed not only to provide a higher level of public safety in our neighborhoods, but it's also aimed to provide jobs for recently discharged military veterans," said Congressman Andrews. "The men and woman who have bravely served our nation certainly deserve more opportunities like this when they return home. The community will benefit from the honor and skills that these veterans gained as soldiers when they begin their beat as newly hired police officers."

"The Gloucester City Police Department would like to thank Congressman Andrews for his help in putting more officers on the streets of Gloucester City," said Chief Berglund. "During times of shrinking budgets we must all seek out alternative means and we very much appreciate the efforts of Congressman Andrews and others to help us fill in the gaps."

Copyright 2012 States News Service