US Representative Marc Molinaro (NY-19) has announced he has secured funding of over $1.5 million dollars in federal funding to address the ongoing law enforcement shortage in Upstate New York.
The funding will go to the Broome County Sheriff’s Office, Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, Ulster County Sheriff’s Office, Norwich Police Department, and the City of Cortland Police Department.
The funding will be available through the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program and will provide direct funding for law enforcement agencies in hiring law enforcement officers, provide training, and advance community policing efforts.
Rep. Molinaro said, “The ‘Defund the Police’ movement and demonization of police officers has driven young people out of the profession and pushed seasoned veterans to take early retirements. Now, we’re faced with a critical shortage of police officers. I stand with our police departments and am proud to be delivering $1.5 million to help them hire new officers and implement new training. This is going to have a positive impact on community safety by helping police departments hire and retain officers.”
The City of Cortland Police Department will receive $125,000 for the hiring of a new police officer.
