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[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 84 (Friday, May 1, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24192-24193]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-11594]

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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Office of Community Oriented Policing Services; FY 1998 Community 
Policing Discretionary Grants

AGENCY: Office of Community Oriented Policing 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. Funding will begin once the new officers have been hired or on 
the

[[Page 24193]]

date of the award, whichever is later, and will be paid over the course 
of the grant. Funding may not be applied to officers hired pre-award 
without written authorization from the COPS Office. All policing 
agencies, as well as jurisdictions seeking to establish new policing 
agencies, are eligible to apply for this program.

DATES: Application deadlines are May 22 and July 10, 1998. If your 
agency previously was awarded a FAST, AHEAD, or UHP grant, 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 
also are 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. 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 of 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. Funding may not be applied to officers hired pre-
award without written authorization from the COPS Office.
    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 future officer hiring. 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 you application.
    In hiring additional officers, 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 20, 1998.
Joseph E. Brann,
Director.
[FR Doc. 98-11594 Filed 4-30-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-AT-M
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