Harrisburg, PA - The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) announced today the availability of grant funding to support the recruitment of approximately 2,000 new fulltime law enforcement officers throughout the Commonwealth. This solicitation seeks to address one of the most pressing workforce challenges Pennsylvania faces – the hiring shortage of police officers.
“Creating safe communities starts with ensuring our local police departments are well-staffed, well-funded, well-trained, and well-equipped,” said Governor Josh Shapiro. “Worker shortages are one of the biggest challenges facing our Commonwealth, and my Administration is taking action to help our municipalities hire and retain thousands of new police officers. As state troopers are being asked to do more due to local police shortages around the state, we must ensure our law enforcement partners have the tools, the manpower, and the flexibility to succeed and keep our communities safe.”
“Every Pennsylvanian – no matter what they look like, who they love or how they worship – deserves to feel safe in their communities, and making sure communities have enough police officers on the beat is a key component for public safety,” said Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, chair of PCCD. “Through this funding we hope to fill gaps within the law enforcement workforce to help make communities safer for all Pennsylvanians.”
This solicitation is open to local law enforcement agencies, campus or university police, railroad or street railway police, airport authority police, and county park police, to support Act 120 training and recruitment activities for law enforcement officers. Act 120 is a mandatory training program for municipal police offers in Pennsylvania which is provided through the Municipal Police Officers’ Education and Training Commission (MPOETC).
Supported by funding through the Local Law Enforcement Support (LLES) Grant Program established under Act 54 of 2022, eligible law enforcement agencies that do not cover the costs of Act 120 training can request up to $7,000 per new officer to support costs associated with the training, or, if they currently hire officers that are already Act 120 trained or the agency already covers training costs, apply for up to $5,000 per new officer to support stipends, signing bonuses, or marketing efforts. Priority consideration in awards will go to law enforcement agencies serving areas with high rates of violent crime and who have low clearance rates for violent crimes.
Applicants can find more information on funding requirements and how to apply on PCCD’s active funding announcements webpage.
The solicitation will remain open to eligible law enforcement agencies to submit applications until such time that all funding is committed. Awards will be announced on a rolling basis as applications are considered.
MEDIA CONTACT: Ali Gantz - algantz@pa.gov
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