The Chief of Police for the Houston Police Department recommends that City Council approve an ordinance authorizing the application for and acceptance of grant funds through the U. S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) FY 2017 COPS Hiring Program. The COPS Hiring Program provides grant funds directly to law enforcement agencies to hire new and/or re-hire career law enforcement officers to increase its community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts.
Under the FY2017 COPS Hiring Program, the DOJ will pay 75% of cadet/officer costs up to $125,000 per officer for the three year period. HPD applied for a three year grant of $3,125,000 to hire 25 full-time police cadet positions (the maximum allowed).
The grant further requires a 25% cash match by the City over the three-year period. The total compensation and benefit costs to support the 25 cadets over the three years will be $6,631.957. Accordingly, the City will incur matching costs estimated at $3,506,957 which surpasses the minimum 25% cash match.
HPD also requests City Council authorize the Chief of Police or his designee to act as the City’s representative to apply for and accept all subsequent awards, if any, to extend the budget period for a five year period, and to authorize the Mayor to execute all related agreements with the approval of the City Attorney in connection with the Grant.
Funding for this item will be included in the FY 2019 Budget. Therefore, no Fiscal Note is required as stated in the Financial Policy Ord. No. 2014-1078.