Town of Clinton to Receive $32,775 Federal Grant for School Safety Effort

Press Release

A strong advocate for improving community law enforcement, Congressman Joe Courtney announced that the Town of Clinton has been awarded a new federal grant of $32,775 through the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program, specifically the Secure our Schools Program (SOS).

"Crime in our communities cannot be tolerated and must be prevented at all costs, especially when it may affect the most vulnerable among us," stated Courtney. "Our schools should be a safe haven for our children and that is why I am pleased to announce this important grant for the Town of Clinton. I applaud Clinton First Selectman Fritz, Chief of Police Faughnan, and Clinton schools Superintendent Albert Coviello for making the safety and security of Clinton's children their priority by applying for this funding."

"I want to thank Congressman Courtney for helping to secure this money for the Town of Clinton," stated Clinton First Selectman Willie Fritz. "COPS is a great federal program and I am pleased that the congressman has been able to secure funding for this program in Washington. The Town of Clinton has benefited from COPS many times and without this funding we would not be able to achieve many of our goals without impacting the taxpayers at the local level."

The U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) today announced $14.4 million in school safety resource grants to assist 143 local law enforcement agencies in 34 states with school safety measures. The grants were awarded under COPS Secure Our Schools program, which intended to support efforts to improve security at schools.

The grants will provide up to 50 percent of the total cost for municipalities to install metal detectors, locks, lighting, and other equipment that can help deter crime. The grants can also be used to cover 50 percent of the cost of security assessments and training.

In addition to funding school safety projects, COPS supports innovative local community policing initiatives, funds the purchase of crime-fighting technology, provides training and technical assistance resources, and funds the hiring of local law enforcement officers. Since 1995, COPS has invested more than $11.3 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,600 state and local law enforcement agencies.

For additional information about COPS Secure Our Schools program, or to learn which law enforcement agencies received grants, visit COPS website at www.cops.usdoj.gov.

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