Fattah, Nutter Bring More Cops to Philly

With the help of $3.125 million from the federal government, Philadelphia will add 25 police officers over the next three years, the U.S. Attorney General announced Monday.

In a joint press conference with U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-2), Mayor Michael Nutter and other congressional officials, Attorney General Eric Holder said Philadelphia would receive money from the U.S. Department of Justice as part of its COPS program, which will distribute $111.2 million nationally.

The money funds nearly all salary and benefits for the new officers over the next three years. The COPS hiring program requires that all funded positions must be filled by recent military veterans who have served at least 180 days since 9/11.

“The Department of Justice’s COPS grant will help Philadelphia to hire highly qualified, committed officers who will work in the neighborhoods that need their presence the most,” Nutter said in a news release. “This COPS grant will help the City to improve public safety, lower the crime rate and continue the policies that work."

Democratic Representatives Bob Brady and Allyson Schwartz and Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey also attended the press conference at City Hall. Fattah is the senior Democrat on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and related agencies that oversees funding for the COPS program and the Department of Justice.

“These important federal resources will help Philadelphia bridge the gap between its tight budget and the need for a robust police force,” Fattah said in a news release. “Making communities safer is a responsibility that must be shared by all levels of government and I'm pleased that Philadelphia is receiving this funding."

COPS, which stands for "Community Oriented Policing Services," first began under President Bill Clinton in 1995 and has thus far provided resources to hire and redeploy about 120,000 police officers nationwide.