U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL14) announced today that Tampa Police Department is the recipient of a $1.9 million federal grant to hire 15 more officers to strengthen its community policing efforts.

“Fifteen more officers on the street where they are needed and training to be more community-oriented are critical to diffuse tensions and build trust,” U.S. Rep. Castor said. “Community policing builds trust and partnerships, which help officers better respond to the diverse concerns of our neighbors. It is a critical tool to help all of us come together and promote respect, peace and understanding in our neighborhoods. Community policing is also well-suited for the prevention of terrorism.”

The federal grant was awarded through the U.S. Department of Justice’s Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS).

“We are beyond thrilled to receive this grant from DOJ,” Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn said. “Any time we can put more officers on the streets to strengthen our community relations and protect Tampa families is a win for our neighborhoods.

“We look forward to continuing to invest in programs that help reinforce that relationship and build trust between both the community and our world-class police department.”

U.S. Rep. Castor has been outspoken on Congressional Republicans’ proposal to gut the COPS Office, writing to the House Appropriations Committee earlier this year to urge restoring funding to COPS as well as other programs critical to ensuring that state and local law enforcement have the tools, personnel, and resources necessary to protect and serve their communities. Gutting COPS would result in loss of law enforcement personnel safeguarding communities across the country as well as loss of the critical response resources to police departments in cities and towns facing challenges. 

“This is great news for our Department and for the City. We are committed to community policing because we know it is effective in preventing crime,” Tampa Police Chief Eric Ward said. “This will help us put more officers on the street as we continue to build relationships with community members and work together to keep the City safe.”

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