newjerseynewsroom.com

BY ALICIA CRUZ

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

After learning the Capital City was not among the 12 localities selected to receive money from a multi-million dollar federal grant, Trenton officials are relieved to know they have a legislative ally urging the Department of Justice to reconsider the city’s Community Oriented Policing Program (COPS) application, said Tricia Enright, Communications Director for Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ).

The decision was announced Tuesday stating more than $243 million in grants would go to 238 law enforcement agencies nationwide. Newark and Camden, which pink slipped 300 officers combined, are set to receive the bulk of the monies. Camden will get $3.7 million for 14 officers and $6 million will go to Newark for the rehire of 25 police officers, NJ.com reported.

On Wednesday, Menendez, fellow U.S. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Congressman Rush Holt (NJ-12) jumped into action, writing U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to explain the serious consequences 84,000 constituents and the remaining 229 officers would likely suffer as a direct result of the Department's decision to exclude Trenton from the grant's funding.

"We write today to request reconsideration of the Department’s decision on the COPS hiring grant application for New Jersey's capital city of Trenton at a critical time. Because of a severe budget shortfall in the coming year, the City of Trenton was recently forced to lay off 105 police officers," the letter read.

"The COPS program has become a lifeline to local police departments struggling to keep cops on the street and local communities’ safe. Unfortunately, some Republicans see it as waste of money and have fought tooth and nail each year to kill it. Next year will be no different but I will continue to fight on behalf of our local partners and against those who see community safety as someone else's responsibility," Menendez vowed in the letter.

With more than half of the 315 New Jersey municipalities compelled to make drastic cuts in their forces, many local law enforcement agencies are in dire need of the COPS Hiring Program, which provides 100 percent funding for the entry-level salaries and benefits of newly-hired, or rehired, full-time officer positions over a three-year period. The coveted and competitive grant directly funds state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to hire police officers dedicated to addressing specific criminal activity within communities.

According to the Jon Runyan Watch blogspot, since the inception of the COPS program in the 1990's, House Republicans have targeted it for elimination. Democrats fought to restore the program's funding earlier this year against Tea Party Republican opposition.

"The COPS grant program has a long history of helping local communities throughout New Jersey and across the country keep police on the beat. Republican efforts to zero out funding for the COPS program are endangering the ability of our police departments to stop violence and prevent crime. I am committed to fighting in the Senate to support COPS funding and to oppose these reckless House cuts," said Lautenberg.

The day Trenton axed nearly one-third of its force, NJSPBA President Tony Wiener said Capital city residents, already faced with gang and crime activity, would now see the remaining officers doing more with less.

"Doing more with less means no more detectives investigating crimes and sending criminals to jail. Doing more with less puts every Trenton cop at risk for lack of backup, resources and intelligence in their surroundings," said Wiener. The substantial layoffs left the Trenton police force with 229 members, of those 199 are sworn officers. It is the lowest staffing level in more than 70 years.