Description
The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) is the component of the U.S. Department of Justice responsible for advancing the practice of community policing by the nation’s state, local, territorial, and tribal law enforcement agencies through information and grant resources. The COPS Office has been appropriated more than $20 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of more than 136,000 officers. COPS Office information resources, covering a wide range of community policing topics such as school and campus safety, violent crime, and officer safety and wellness, can be downloaded via the COPS Office’s home page, https://cops.usdoj.gov. The COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP) provides funding directly to states, units of local government, Indian tribes, and their public agencies to improve security at schools and on school grounds in the recipient’s jurisdiction through evidence-based school safety programs. The COPS Office is committed to advancing work that promotes civil rights and equity, increases access to justice, supports crime victims and individuals impacted by the justice system, strengthens community safety and protects the public from crime and evolving threats, and build trust between law enforcement and the community. Statutory Authority This program is authorized under the Students, Teachers, and Officers Preventing (STOP) School Violence Act of 2018 (34 U.S.C. § 10551 et seq.). Pursuant to 34 U.S.C. § 10551(b)(5)–(9), SVPP funding is authorized and available under the following purpose areas: • “Coordination with local law enforcement” • “Training for local law enforcement officers to prevent student violence against others and self” • “Placement and use of metal detectors, locks, lighting, and other deterrent measures” • “Acquisition and installation of technology for expedited notification of local law enforcement during an emergency” • “Any other measure that, in the determination of the COPS Office Director, may provide a significant improvement in security” All awards are subject to the availability of appropriated funds and any modifications or additional requirements that may be imposed by law.