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Essex County Police Departments Get Funding to Hire Additional Officers for Community Policing

Essex County Sheriff’s Office to Hire More Officers After Receiving Federal Grant Money

Multiple law enforcement agencies in Essex County, New Jersey were recently awarded federal grant money that will be used to hire more police officers to patrol streets. The Essex County Sheriff’s Office, the Nutley Police Department, and the West Orange Police Department got millions of dollars to assist with efforts to crack down on violent crimes and drug crimes. The grants were issued through the Department of Justice’s Community Oriented Policing Services Hiring Program (also known as the COPS Hiring Program).

The breakdown in how the federal government money will be distributed among New Jersey law enforcement agencies is as follows:

The Essex County Sheriff’s Office received $1.8 million to hire 15 officers.
The Nutley Police Department in Essex County, NJ received $500,000 to hire four (4) officers.
The West Orange Police Department in Essex County, NJ received $500,000 to hire four (4) officers.
The Paramus Police Department in Bergen County, NJ received $625,000 to hire five (5) officers.
The Moonachie Police Department in Bergen County, NJ received $125,000 to hire one (1) officer.
The Long Branch Police Department in Monmouth County, NJ received $625,000 to hire five (5) officers.

In total, six NJ police departments got around $4.2 million in federal grants to hire an additional 34 police officers. Last year, three Essex County police departments received $4.7 million to hire 32 additional police officers through the same federal grant program. (The Essex County law enforcement agencies that got funds in 2016 were the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, the East Orange Police Department, and the Orange Police Department.)

Community Policing in Essex County, NJ

The goal of community policing efforts is to prevent crimes by allowing police officers to patrol particular areas where criminal activity, such as marijuana distribution and cocaine distribution, is known to occur. In the past, U.S. Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr. has commended the COPS program for helping local police departments in NJ to “strengthen their capacity to work directly with community members to meet their needs and make New Jersey communities safer.” Similarly, U.S. Senator Robert Menendez observed that having officers in the community every day allows local residents and business owners to get to know the officers and develop strong relationships “built on trust and mutual respect.”

Additionally, community policing programs can make residents feel safer because an increased police presence on certain streets provides children with protection as they walk to and from school each day. For instance, the West Orange Police Department is expected to place at least some of the additional officers in city schools, where they will serve as school resource officers and will address potentially dangerous incidents involving juveniles.

Free Consultation with Essex County Criminal Defense Attorneys About Your Criminal Charges

An increased police presence on Essex County streets often results in more arrests. If you or a loved one has been arrested and charged with a crime in West Orange, Nutley, Newark, or any other municipality in Essex County, NJ, you need an experienced criminal defense attorney on your side and helping you to fight the charges. The Tormey Law Firm is a New Jersey criminal defense team that represents clients in Superior Courts and Municipal Courts throughout NJ. Contact us anytime to discuss your case and start your defense.

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