HPD To Receive Nearly $2 Mil Federal ‘Cops’ Grant

Published on November 19, 2021

HARTFORD, CONN (November 19, 2021) – Today, Mayor Luke Bronin, Senator Richard Blumenthal, Senator Chris Murphy, Rep. John Larson (CT-01) and Hartford Police Chief Jason Thody announced that the U.S. Department of Justice has awarded the City of Hartford a grant of $1.875 million to support the hiring of up to 15 new police officers.

The grant comes from the U.S. Department of Justice’s COPS Hiring Program (CHP), a competitive award program intended to reduce crime and advance public safety through community policing. The DOJ states that it will help provide police departments across the U.S. with the resources needed to ensure community safety and build trust. Hartford was selected from nearly 600 departments across the nation who applied.

"We have one recruit class in the academy right now, another class starting next month, and we're going to continue reaching out every day to attract diverse, dedicated recruit classes for the Hartford Police Department," said Mayor Luke Bronin. "I want to thank the DOJ, the Biden Administration and our federal delegation for partnering with us to secure another COPS hiring grant, which helps us to sustain our aggressive pace of hiring in the years ahead-- and of course it's great news for Hartford taxpayers, too."

“This major federal grant will enhance community-policing efforts and help reduce crime,” said Senator Murphy, Senator Blumenthal and Rep. Larson. “This federal investment ensures the state’s capital city is safer for kids and families, strengthening the trust among officers and the communities they protect and serve. This is a huge win for the City of Hartford and its residents.”

"We're very pleased to receive this new COPS grant funding to assist with our ongoing recruitment efforts," said Chief Thody.  "We have been working hard to attract and hire diverse recruits, as well as to retain our officers.  Our profession has seen a decline in the number of applicants in recent years, but I still find there are great candidates out there that will be the future of the Hartford Police Department, and I appreciate this federal partnership."

Nationwide, the COPS Hiring Program grants will provide direct funding to 183 law enforcement agencies across the country, allowing those agencies to hire 1,066 additional full-time law enforcement professionals. The COPS Office, short for Community Oriented Policing Services, has invested over $14 billion towards community policing since 1995. To learn more about the CHP program, please visit https://cops.usdoj.gov/chp-award.

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