The U.S. Department of Justice has awarded the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) a Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant for $750,000 dollars. The grant will support the HCSO’s efforts to improve the safety and mentorship of the young people in Hamilton County’s schools.
On Oct. 3, the Department of Justice, on behalf of Attorney General Loretta Lynch, notified Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger and Sheriff Hammond that the HCSO had received a grant to hire six additional school resource officers (SROs). Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Hammond, U.S. Congressman Chuck Fleischmann, and members of the HCSO command staff and student resource officer division made the announcement last week.
SROs help to keep schools safe and foster a positive relationship between law enforcement and local youth. The officers teach public safety classes and serving as positive role models and mentors, the Sheriff Hammond’s office said in a press release.
The schools chosen to receive the new SROs have not been determined. Officials with the HCSO administration, the HCSO’s SRO division, and the Hamilton County Department of Education will work together to see where these new SROs will be best utilized.
Source: HCSO