Description
Overview of the COPS Office 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, www.cops.usdoj.gov. Statutory Authority: The Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, as amended, and the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, Title I, Part Q, Public Law 103-322, 34 U.S.C. § 10381 et seq. Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Pub. L. No. 117-328) The Explanatory Statement of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (Public Law 117-328) lists the designated projects, which the Act incorporates by reference, as stated in relevant part, below— $177,880,000 is for a law enforcement technologies and interoperable communications program, and related law enforcement and public safety equipment, which shall be used for the projects, and in the amounts, specified under the heading, ''Community Oriented Policing Services, Technology and Equipment Community Projects/ COPS Law Enforcement Technology and Equipment'', in the explanatory statement described in section 4 (in the matter preceding division A of this consolidated Act) Pub. L. No. 117-328, div. B, title II (2023). Program Description This funding is for grants to State, local, Tribal, territorial, and other entities to develop and acquire effective equipment, technologies, and interoperable communications that assist in responding to and preventing crime. The goal of the program is to increase the community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts of law enforcement agencies. The objective is to provide funding for projects which improve police effectiveness and the flow of information among law enforcement agencies, local government service providers, and the communities they serve. Funding shall be used for the projects, and in the amounts, specified under the heading "Community Oriented Policing Services, Technology and Equipment Community Projects/ COPS Law Enforcement Technology and Equipment" in the Joint Explanatory Statement - Division B, which is incorporated by reference into Public Law 117-328. Equipment funded under this program should meet any applicable requirements of the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Office of Law Enforcement Standards. This is an invitational program. The list of eligible applicants is available in the COPS Other Information section below. The COPS Office is committed to advancing work that promotes civil rights and racial 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 builds trust between law enforcement and the community. The COPS Office will issue awards with a period of performance beginning date of December 29, 2022, the enactment date of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023. Costs incurred on/after December 29, 2022, but prior to issuance of an award and approval of the project budget by the COPS Office may be reimbursed, but are incurred at the applicant's own risk, as authorized costs will be limited to those approved by the COPS Office. Note: Funding will only be provided for the specific projects designated for funding in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Public Law 117-328). Further, the COPS Office is not in a position to approve any changes to project scope as identified in the Explanatory Statement of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Public Law 117-328). This solicitation incorporates the FY23 COPS Technology and Equipment Program Reference Guide by reference. The reference guide describes the award terms and conditions and other requirements that applicants should be aware of before applying to this COPS Office program.