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Quigley Applauds Over $3 Million DOJ Grant to Hire More Chicago Police Officers

September 22, 2015

CHICAGO -- U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05), a member of the House Appropriations Committee, applauded the announcement of a $3.125 million federal Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant for the hiring of 25 new Chicago police officers.

"The primary job of our police department is to protect and serve our communities, but Congress must ensure that they have the resources necessary to achieve this goal," said Rep. Quigley. "This COPS grant allows us to put more police officers on the streets of Chicago to help eliminate violence and make our communities safer. I will continue working hard through the House Appropriations Committee to ensure that federal dollars, like the COPS grants, return to Chicago to help our city thrive."

COPS is a federal agency tasked with bettering community safety and policing across the country. The COPS Hiring Program distributes grants through the Department of Justice to law enforcement agencies across state and local areas. Since 1995, the program has helped agencies meet the desperate needs of community crime prevention by hiring officers, providing salaries, and giving benefits. This year, the state of Illinois alone was given nearly $5 million in COPS grants for 39 new officers.

As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Quigley has worked hard to advocate for increased funding for crime prevention methods in Chicago, and helped secure nearly $1.9 million in COPS grants for Chicago in 2013. Rep. Quigley believes that federal action needs to be taken to thwart gun violence in Chicago and is the author of the TRACE Act, which gives law enforcement the tools needed to crack down on the illegal gun market. He is also an original sponsor of the Buyback our Safety Act to bolster gun buyback initiatives.