Recovery Police Civilians Project

The Recovery Act Edward Byrne Memorial Competitive Grant Program (Byrne Competitive Program) will help communities improve the capacity of state and local justice systems and provide for national support efforts including training and technical assistance programs strategically targeted to address local needs. This competitive grant announcement focuses on initiatives in eight areas: 1) preventing and reducing violent crime through community-based data-driven approaches; 2) providing funding for neighborhood-based probation and parole officers; 3) reducing mortgage fraud and crime related to vacant properties; 4) hiring of civilian support personnel in law enforcement (training staff, analysts, dispatchers, etc.); 5) enhancing forensic and crime scene investigations; 6) improving resources and services for victims of crime; 7) supporting problem-solving courts; and 8) national training and technical assistance partnerships.

Under category 4, the city of West Covina will use the FY 2009 Recovery Act Byrne Competitive Grant funds to support the West Covina Police Department with the Recovery Police Civilians Project. The goals of the project are to retain two civilian support positions and to deploy those retained positions directly to support sworn patrol officers. In order to accomplish these goals, the police department will use the funds to retain and hire a community services officer and dispatcher. The community services officer will respond to calls for service that do not require sworn police officers, thus making those officers more available on the street to reduce and prevent crime. The dispatcher will be hired to answer and dispatch emergency calls for service to patrol officers and relay data and other information required by officers on patrol.

CA/NCF