Levin, Stabenow Announce $327,222 in COPS Grants for Michigan

WASHINGTON – Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., announced today that the Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) has awarded $327,222 to Michigan through two of its programs. The City of Allegan has been awarded $222,222 to combat methamphetamine, and the Benton Harbor Police Department, the Dowagiac Police Department, and the City of River Rouge will receive $40,000, $15,000, and $50,000 respectively, to fund school safety resources.

"We must make sure we do the best we can to deter crime in our schools and keep drugs off our streets," said Levin. "These grants will provide much needed funding to support these goals."

"The COPS program has proved itself as a versatile tool in addressing problems faced by local schools and communities," Stabenow said. "This new round of grants, which deals with protecting schools and fighting the spread of drugs, demonstrate once again that the COPS is an excellent federal-local partnership to enhance community policing."

The funding to combat methamphetamine will support a variety of enforcement, training, and methamphetamine laboratory cleanup activities. Since 1998, COPS has invested $223.5 million nationwide to combat the spread of methamphetamine.

The school safety grants will provide up to 50 percent of the total cost to install metal detectors, locks, lighting, and other equipment that can help deter crime in schools. The funds can also be used to cover some of the costs of security assessments and training. Over $5 million dollars have been provided to assist 69 local law enforcement agencies in 27 states.