Howell Police Department Gets $93K federal grant for Youth Engagement Program

The Howell Police Department has been awarded a $93,357 grant by the U.S. Department of Justice for its Youth Engagement Program , according to an announcement today by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey.

The grant is one of 29 awards made nationally by the Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office). In total, $2.2 million in Community Policing Development (CPD) Microgrants ranging from $15,090 to $100,000 were announced.

“These funds will provide additional resources for the development of policing strategies that will improve the way law enforcement interacts with the people they are sworn to protect,” U.S. Attorney Criag Carpenito said. “This comes at a crucial time, as we work to refine and enhance community policing strategies.”

“The CPD Microgrants Program is a critical resource to advance innovative community policing projects across the country,” COPS Director Phil Keith said. “These strategic investments from the COPS Office pay huge dividends to state and local law enforcement agencies and the communities that they serve.”

CPD Microgrants Program funds are used to develop the capacity of local, state, and tribal law enforcement agencies to implement community policing strategies. Applicants were invited to propose demonstration or pilot projects to be implemented in their agency that offer creative ideas to advance crime fighting, community engagement, problem solving, or organizational changes to support community policing in one of the following areas:

• Human Trafficking
• Meeting Rural Law Enforcement Challenges
• Officer Safety and Wellness
• Recruitment, Hiring, and Retention
• School Safety
• Staffing and Allocation Studies
• Victim-Centered Approaches
• Violent Crime
• Youth Engagement