U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., have announced more than $560,000 in grants to help law enforcement agencies in West Virginia.
The grants are from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Program. These grants will aid police departments in Cameron and Parkersburg and in Roane and Summers counties.
“COPS Hiring Program grants help provide our local police forces with the resources they need to keep our communities safe. This funding will help boost law enforcement services including efforts to fight the opioid epidemic, and protect West Virginians in Cameron, Parkersburg and Roane and Summers counties,” said Capito.
“Our law enforcement officers throughout West Virginia go above and beyond to protect our communities,” Manchin said. “These COPS Hiring Program grants will ensure that police departments in Cameron, Parkersburg and Roane and Summers counties have the necessary resources to do their jobs well.”
U.S. Representative David McKinley, R-W.Va., who represents the district that includes Cameron and Parkersburg, also praised the grant awards. “It is absolutely critical that our towns and cities have the personnel they need to meet the current law enforcement challenges facing our communities. These grants will give the City of Cameron and Parkersburg the ability to hire new officers to help prevent new crimes and keep our neighborhoods safe,” said McKinley.
The grants give law enforcement agencies money to hire or rehire officers and increase community policing and crime prevention efforts.
The grants include $123,263 for the City of Cameron, $250,000 for the Parkersburg Police Department, $96,710 for the Roane County Sheriff's Department and $92,392 for the Summers County Sheriff's Department.