Dearborn Police Dept. Receives $1.125M Grant to Hire Veterans

The will receive a $1.125 million grant to be used for the hiring of officers, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The grant will come from the DOJ's Community Oriented Policing Services Hiring Program, which supports the hiring and retention of full-time sworn officers in departments across the U.S.

This year, the program has a unique requirement: All new officers hired under the grant must be military veterans that have served at least 180 days of active service, which occurred on or after Sept. 11, 2001.

Dearborn was one of four departments to receive the grant.

Hamtramck will receive $441,682; Oak Park will receive $681,363; and Taylor will receive $125,000.

Dearborn's grant will provide for the hiring of nine officers.

U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin lauded the announcement in statements released Tuesday.

“Today’s announcement is especially rewarding,” said Stabenow. “It is so fitting that those who have kept our country safe and served in the military should be given the opportunity to come home and serve the public as police officers.”

"For nearly two decades, the COPS program has been helping keep communities safe in Michigan and across the country," Levin said. "In addition to helping keep Michigan safe, these latest grants will help those who have served in the military continue to serve our nation."

For more information on the COPS Program, visit www.cops.usdoj.gov.