DOJ funding will assist police departments in earning or renewing accreditation from state, regional, tribal or national police accreditation organizations
Washington, D.C. - Today, the Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) announced the distribution of more than $3.8 million in funding to assist agencies with gaining accreditation to ensure compliance with national and international standards covering all aspects of law enforcement policies, procedures, practices, and operations.
"I'm pleased that the Department of Justice has distributed this funding to help law enforcement agencies, including the Exeter Police Department and the New Hampshire Department of Justice, pursue further accreditation and training," said Congressman Chris Pappas. "From my conversations with law enforcement I know that too many departments lack the resources to initiate this process. These federal funds directly address that obstacle so local departments in New Hampshire and across the country can continue to improve training, raise standards, and implement best practices. I will continue working to build bipartisan support for my legislation, the EAGLE Act, in order to authorize the full $10 million in funding for this purpose and ensure that it is targeted at small and mid-sized departments."
Last session, Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) introduced legislation to establish a new grant program at the Department of Justice. Congressman Pappas reintroduced this legislation on May 25th of this year. The Establishing Accreditation Grants for Law Enforcement (EAGLE) Act would authorize $10 million in funding for small and mid-sized police departments to earn or renew accreditation from state, regional, tribal or national police accreditation organizations, such as the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). This legislation would help police departments update their standards and best practices to strengthen accountability, enhance community trust, and improve operational effectiveness.
Only a small fraction of police departments nationwide are accredited, in part because the process can be costly. In response, the EAGLE Act would establish a grant program that small and mid-sized police departments (those with fewer than 350 employees) can utilize to pay for the process of earning accreditation. The bill was the product of a series of conversations between Congressman Pappas, New Hampshire law enforcement officials, and reform advocates around the pressing issue of police reform. All New Hampshire municipal police departments would qualify for these funds.
More information on all the awards announced today can be found on the COPS Office website at https://cops.usdoj.gov/cpd-award.
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