[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 89 (Monday, May 8, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Page 26633]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-11369]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE


Office of Community Oriented Policing Services; FY 2000 Community 
Policing Discretionary Grants

AGENCY: Office of Community Oriented Policy Services, Department of 
Justice.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented 
Policing Services (``COPS'') announces the availability of Universal 
Hiring Program (UHP) grants to pay up to 75 percent of the total salary 
and benefits for new officers over three years, and up to a maximum of 
$75,000 per officer, with the remainder to be paid by state or local 
funds. To qualify for funding, officers must be hired on or after the 
grant award start date. Funding will begin once the new officers have 
been hired or on the date of the award, whichever is later, and will be 
paid over the course of the grant. All policing agencies, as well as 
jurisdictions seeking to establish new policing agencies, are eligible 
to apply for this program.

DATES: Application deadline for UHP is May 31, 2000. Applications must 
be postmarked by the deadline date. Additional application deadline 
dates may be announced later and are subject to available funding. If 
additional funding is available, applications postmarked after the 
deadline date may be carried over to the next funding period. Unlike 
previous fiscal years, funding is limited under the Universal Hiring 
Program. Because funding is limited, we encourage you to apply early. 
If your agency previously was awarded funding under the Universal 
Hiring Program, you may request additional officers at any time.

ADDRESSES: To obtain a copy of an application or for more information, 
call the U.S. Department of Justice Response Center at (202) 307-1480 
or 1-800-421-6770.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The U.S. Department of Justice 
Response Center, (202) 307-1480 or 1-800-421-6770. The UHP application 
and information on the COPS Office are also available on the Internet 
via the COPS web site at: http://www.usdoj.gov/cops.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Overview

    The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (Pub. L. 
103-322) authorizes the Department of Justice to make grants to 
increase deployment of law enforcement officers devoted to community 
policing on the streets and rural routes in this nation. The Universal 
Hiring Program (UHP) enables interested agencies to supplement their 
current sworn forces, or interested jurisdictions to establish a new 
agency, through Federal grants for up to three years. All policing 
agencies, as well as jurisdictions seeking to establish new policing 
agencies, are eligible to apply for this program.
    Grants will be made for up to 75 percent of the total salary and 
benefits for each new officer over three years, and up to a maximum of 
$75,000 per officer, with the remainder to be paid by state or local 
funds. Funding will begin once the new officers have been hired or on 
the date of the award, whichever is later, and will be paid over the 
course of the grant. Officers must be hired after the grant award start 
date to qualify for grant funding.
    Waivers of the non-Federal matching requirement may be requested 
under UHP, but will be granted only upon a showing of extraordinary 
fiscal hardship.
    COPS grant funds must not be used to replace funds that eligible 
agencies otherwise would have devoted to officer hiring in the absence 
of the grant. In other words, any hiring under UHP must be in addition 
to, and not in lieu of, officers that otherwise would have been hired. 
All grant recipients must develop a written plan to retain their COPS-
funded officer positions after Federal funding has ended. This plan 
must be submitted to the COPS Office with your application.
    In hiring additional officers under the UHP, agencies may not 
reduce the scope of their customary screening and training procedures, 
and must include community policing principles in their training 
curricula.
    An award under the COPS Universal Hiring Program will not affect 
the consideration of an agency's eligibility for a grant under other 
COPS programs.

    The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) reference for 
this program is 16.710.

    Dated: April 21, 2000.
Thomas Frazier,
Director.
[FR Doc. 00-11369 Filed 5-5-00; 8:45 am]
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