HARTFORD – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty (D-5) and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-3) announced today $1.5 million in federal Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) funds for the City of Waterbury to hire 12 police officers. 

“As cities and towns across Connecticut struggle to balance budgets and preserve public safety, COPS grants have provided invaluable assistance— enabling cities to hire or rehire officers to maintain and enhance community policing efforts. This $1.5 million award will allow Waterbury to place an additional 12 officers on the streets, immediately enhancing public safety. I will continue to fight for resources to support community policing and law enforcement throughout the state, for both aid for additional staffing and for the tools, technology and training that existing officers need to safely and effectively do their jobs,” said Blumenthal.

“There is no city that has a better understanding of the benefit of true community policing than Waterbury.  Today’s $1.5 million grant is a testament to that commitment. This grant will help recruit new officers and increase effective community policing and community engagement efforts across the city to better keep our neighborhoods safe,” Murphy said.

“Each day, our police force, our first responders, put their lives on the line for our homes and families. Because they willingly face danger, we know that our homes, businesses and families are safe. During this time, when budgets across the country, at every level of government, are stretched to the limit, the federal government needs to step up with grants such as this one. I congratulate Waterbury for winning this award and look forward to seeing the new officers out keeping our neighborhoods safe,” DeLauro said.

“Law enforcement officers in Waterbury have proven themselves time and time again in the most difficult of circumstances, risking their lives to keep our community safe,” Esty said. “The Waterbury Police Department is more than deserving of the support this grant will provide to place 12 additional officers on the ground in neighborhoods throughout the city. I applaud Chief Riddick on his efforts to enhance effective community policing models and congratulate the Department on earning this well-deserved grant.”

“The Waterbury Police Department is ecstatic to be a recipient of the 2015 COPS Hiring Grant. This award will allow our department to hire twelve additional police officers and boost our budgeted number of officers to 300.  According to a patrol staffing study conducted by Carroll Buracker & Associates, having 300 hundred officers provides the police department the opportunity to deliver efficient high quality police services,” said Waterbury Police Chief Vernon L. Riddick. “The COPS grant runs for three years and we are required to retain the officers for one additional year upon the expiration of the grant. We purpose the grant for staffing our depleted specialized units. This includes the following: community relations division; motorcycle unit; and motor vehicle enforcement unit. This grant will also allow the department to reinstitute walking beats, decrease response times to non-emergency calls for service, and provide unobligated time for officers to engage in proactive problem oriented policing activities.”