By Matt Marn
Published January 03, 2011 by Advance Newspapers
Amid the Merry Christmas and Happy New Year wishes, the final Wyoming City Council meeting of 2010 included the passage of a resolution to accept grant funding from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, or COPS Hiring Program.
The grant awarded to Wyoming is $2.2 million, which will provide 100 percent funding for four police officer positions over three years. But the city had to commit to funding the positions for a fourth year, and the vote taken last month approved the budgeting for that fourth year.
In a city council work session the week before, Wyoming Police Chief James Carmody explained that the COPS grant funding, which came from a portion of the federal stimulus, was to retain or replace public safety officers.
An earlier grant application from the city was denied, but that was prior to the General Motors plant closure as well as closures of other local businesses. The application was held over and Wyoming became eligible for funding once more when economic data was updated and provided.
Carmody said two of the four positions will be in the investigative division and focus on juvenile issues such as truancy and bullying, while the other two positions would be for liaison positions to work in the community and with local businesses.
Wyoming City Manager Curtis Holt said the grant can help the city catch up on understaffed police efforts.
“Part of what I think gives us a productive force is not all reactive but also proactive activities, and, if but for a short time, this will help us catch up,” he said.
Holt said two years ago, a study was done that showed room for improvement regarding the understaffed police and fire services in the city of Wyoming.
“As a city, we need to work for constant improvement,” he said. “That makes your city more sustainable in the long term. If you don’t take care of roads, fire safety, or police departments, the bills and problems add up. But by being proactive, by having more police and prevention, we can help people find peaceful solutions that keep them out of the legal system.”
Holt said the officers in the new police positions would work closely with youth as well as community and businesses, addressing things head-on in both realms, taking an active role in citizens’ daily lives.
“Wyoming’s crime rates are traditionally low, largely because of good, quality police work and involvement in the community,” he said. “As we continue to drop officers, you may not see an immediate impact, but over time, your community will change, and not always for the better. That is why this grant is so important – we want to always keep moving forward.”
Matt Marn can be reached at news@advancenewspapers.com
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