Sheriff's Service Officers

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 Polk County Sheriff's Office will use the grant award to hire civilian law enforcement staff. The goal of this program is to fund positions that provide non-emergency requests for services at a reduced rate compared to a sworn law enforcement officer rate. To accomplish these goals, the Polk County Sheriff's Office plan will use funds to hire Sheriff's service officers, trained civilian employees who will provide response to non-emergency requests for service. This will allow law enforcement officers more time for directed patrol and emergency response. The utilization of non-sworn personnel provides for the delivery of service at a reduced cost without affecting the quality of customer service to the community. The major deliverables of this project include the creation of jobs, reduction in violent crimes, delivery of service at reduced cost, and better customer service and response times.

CA/NCF