Quigley Cheers Nearly $1.9 Million DOJ Grant to Hire New Chicago Police Officers

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05) applauded the announcement of a $1.875 million federal Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant for the hiring of 15 new Chicago police officers. Quigley has been a vocal advocate for increased COPS grant funding, which is distributed by the U.S. Department of Justice.

"This COPS grant allows us to put more police officers on Chicago streets to help in the fight against gun violence," said Quigley. "Congress must prioritize programs that provide our local law enforcement with the resources they need to make our communities safer."

Rep. Quigley is a member of the House Appropriations Committee, where he advocated for increased funding for COPS grants during the appropriations process earlier this year. The COPS Hiring Program offers grants to state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to hire or rehire community policing officers. The program provides the salary and benefits for officer hires for three years.

The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1995, COPS has awarded over $14 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 approximately 125,000 officers and provide a variety of resources including publications, training, and technical assistance.

Rep. Quigley believes gun violence in Chicago demands federal action and is the author of the TRACE Act, which gives law enforcement the tools they need 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.