Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin, City Manager Teresa Wilson and Police Chief Skip Holbrook announce that the Columbia Police Department (CPD) has been awarded three significant grants aimed at enhancing community policing efforts to reduce violent crime. The grants total more than $2 million.
“This grant funding will serve to enhance our efforts to work in partnership with our community, in keeping with our Department’s motto, to address crime, particularly violent crime in the City of Columbia. It is critically important for us to leverage all resources to further our efforts to build and maintain positive working relationships with our citizens. Community relationships are at the foundation of all we do,” states Chief Holbrook.
Here is a breakdown of the grants:
COPS Hiring Grant
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)
$1,875,000
The COPS Hiring Grant will enable CPD to hire 15 additional police officers to work in neighborhoods throughout the city to increase the Department’s community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts. CPD’s application requested the additional officers to specifically address gun violence. The three- year grant will cover the salary and benefits for the hired officers.
Project Safe Neighborhood Grant
Office of Justice Programs
U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) $300,000
These funds announced by US Attorney General Loretta Lynch in September will be used to support and enhance Ceasefire Columbia, a focused deterrence strategy implemented last year to address gun crime in the 29203 neighborhoods, an area with a significant number of gun crimes and a concentration of violent offenders. The funds, allocated over two years, will facilitate the provision of services to participating offenders on probation or parole, increase capacity of ballistic investigations, improve date-driven analysis of gun crime and gang violence, and implement a community outreach campaign.
Attorney General Lynch said,” Gang violence and gun crime are two of the most formidable obstacles we face in ensuring that every American lives in safe and secure communities. These vital grants give jurisdictions the resources they need to develop comprehensive, collaborative responses to the most serious and destructive crimes.”
Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Program Grant
S.C. Department of Public Safety (SCDPS) $195,351
This grant will fund two victim advocate positions within CPD. These victim advocates will provide direct services to victims of crime, and is specifically designed to benefit CPD crime victims, to include sexual assault victims, domestic violence victims, and child abuse and neglect victims.
Mayor Steve Benjamin stated, “Being awarded not just one but three grants for our Columbia Police Department is incredible,” said Mayor Benjamin. “We’re so proud of the work they’ve been doing, and we’re excited to see how our community will benefit in receiving these grants.”
City Manager Teresa Wilson added, “From reducing gun violence, to advocating for victims of crime, to enhancing our sworn strength with the hiring of new officers, I remain proud of the efforts of the Columbia Police Department team and our grants professional to aggressively seek these additional resources that will benefit the citizens of Columbia.”
Chief Holbrook extends his appreciation to those City of Columbia employees who assisted with the lengthy grant process. The Columbia Police Department looks forward to maintaining the level of trust, transparency and legitimacy that it’s known for as efforts to build a strong 21st Century police agency continue.