More than $5 million in police funding for Maine

U.S. Senators Olympia J. Snowe and Susan Collins announced that the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) has awarded grants totaling $5,098,572 to 18 Maine police departments through the COPS Hiring Recovery Program (CHRP). Funding from the CHRP program is designed to help bolster the hiring of local law enforcement agencies.

The funding is being distributed to Maine through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Senators Snowe and Collins worked with a bipartisan group of senators to craft the legislation that became law in February.

“These funds will greatly help to improve Maine’s ability to address criminal justice and public safety issues,” said Senators Snowe and Collins in a joint statement. “This $5 million in grant funding will help make communities throughout Maine safer by providing the state with 30 additional officers.”
Funding will be awarded as follows (departments will be allocated funding for one officer, unless otherwise noted):

• City of Auburn (2 officers) - $374,120
• Baileyville Police Department - $209,336
• City of Bangor (4 officers) - $704,880
• Town of Boothbay Harbor - $185,180
• Caribou Police Department - $177,206
• Dexter-Foxcroft Police Department - $180,085
• Fryeburg Police Department - $143,199
• Lewiston Police Department (2 officers) - $350,412
• Mexico Police Department - $180,017
• Milo Police Department - $135,492
• Newport Police Department - $168,490
• Norway Police Department - $149, 314
• Penobscot Nation Police Department - $149,314
• City of Portland (6 officers) - $882,528
• Sanford Police Department (2 officers) - $411,362
• Town of Skowhegan - $147,308
• Westbrook Police Department (2 officers) - $375,074
• Winthrop Police Department - $175,101

The grants will provide 100 percent of the approved salary and benefits for entry level officer positions over a three-year period. Police departments receiving the grants will then be required to retain the grant-funded positions for a fourth year.