Funding to enable cities to hire officers

Funding to enable cities to hire officers
Published by The Reporter
Posted: 07/29/2009

Four Solano County cities will receive funding for new police officers, the Department of Justice's Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office announced Tuesday.

In California, the federal agency awarded more than $211 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act COPS Hiring Recovery Program funds to 109 law enforcement agencies to hire or rehire 649 police officers

Dixon, Fairfield, Suisun City and Vallejo are among the local agencies to receive funds.

Dixon will receive $280,152, allowing for one officer. Fairfield will receive $1,556,205, allowing it to retain five officers. Suisun City will receive $319,603, for one officer. Vallejo will receive $2,177,436, for six officers.

Funds were awarded on a competitive basis by the federal government directly to local entities.

Fairfield praised the award noting in a press release that during the past two years, budget cuts to the city's police department have resulted in the loss of 17.8 full-time equivalent positions, including eight police officers, two captains, one dispatcher, two community service officers, two part-time investigators, 3.5 records assistants -- all of which were vacant -- and four part-time support staff.