Biden administration announces $334M to hire police officers, improve security at schools

The Biden administration announced Thursday new funding that will go toward hiring more than 1,730 law enforcement officers in an effort to reduce crime rates across the United States.

The provision of more than $334 million in grants through the Justice Department aims to help law enforcement agencies hire new officers, as well as boost school safety and advance community policing efforts.

The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services will receive nearly $217 million of the funding to hire the 1,730 police offers who will also be entry level. The new officers will be hired in 394 police departments across the U.S.

U.S. Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta told reporters Thursday that the funding will go directly to law enforcement agencies, noting the “the number one issue” her office hears from police offices is that there’s a recruitment and retention crisis.

The funding also gives more than $73.6 million to 206 school districts and other public agencies at the state and local level in an effort to improve security at schools. The funding can’t be used for officers inside schools but can be used for deterrent measures like cameras and metal detectors.

And, more than $43 million will go to 178 local governments to support crisis intervention teams, deescalation training and community policing strategies.

The new funding announcement comes just more than a week after a mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, left 18 people dead after a gunman targeted a bowling alley and a restaurant in the town.

The administration also announced that five new cities — Knoxville, Tenn.; Raleigh, N.C.; Vallejo, Calif.; San Antonio; and Minneapolis — will join the Department of Justice’s National Public Safety Partnership (PSP), which already includes 50 jurisdictions. 

The PSP has a “proven track record of helping partner sites reduce crime, improve homicide clearance rates, and enhance the quality of life for community members,” according to administration officials.

The uptick in crime in Democratic-controlled cities has been a major challenge for local officials and a major talking point for Republicans in the 2022 midterms and going into 2024. President Biden has been on the defensive over crime, touting funding for policing he has pushed through and hammering Republicans for not supporting his budget that would include more.

Administration officials argued that violent crime has been on the decline, citing data from the FBI.

“According to recent FBI statistics for the year 2021 to 2022, murder and manslaughter decreased by 6.4 percent and rate decreased nearly 8 percent nationwide and all the indications are that this downward trend in violent crime has continued into 2023. But we absolutely recognize the violent crime continues to threaten to many American communities,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco told reporters.

“Every day, police, educators and community leaders are on the front lines or keeping the American people safe, and the Department of Justice is going to continue to have their backs,” she added.