By Maria Prato-Gaines, Staff Writer
MONROE — The Monroe Township Police Department is looking to get a little piece of the $787 billion federal stimulus pie.
The department is applying for $764,396 in federal grant money, looking to add manpower to its force through the Community Oriented Policing Services Hiring Recovery Program, according to the department’s press release.
If approved, the department has plans to hire two officers. The COPS Recovery program is a competitive grant program funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and has a pool of up to $1 billion available to municipalities that are looking to hire or rehire additional career law enforcement officers.
The grant is allocated on a first-come-first-served basis, and would pay for the first three years of an officer’s salary and benefits.
Recipients of the grant would be required to hire an officer for at least four years, the last of which a municipality would be responsible for funding.
Currently, Monroe employs 49 full-time police officers, the release states.
The deadline for filing for the grant expired April 14, however the department submitted its application April 9.
”Based on the number of applications received, the COPS Office anticipates CHRP to be highly competitive,” according to the COPS home page, located on the U.S. Department of Justice’s Web site. “In the coming weeks, the COPS Office will be reviewing applications and all applicants will be notified whether they will receive CHRP grant funding no later than Sept. 30, 2009.”

