WYOMING, Mich. — The Wyoming Department of Public Safety received a $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice that will help add six officers to the department’s Community Services Unit.
The Community Oriented Policing Services grant is part of a federal initiative intended to reduce crime and advance public safety through community policing, according to a news release Monday.
Wyoming accepted the grant during the city’s Dec. 20 City Council meeting.
Officials say the additional personnel “will enhance and expand the efforts of WYDDPS to impact quality of life in our community, which has been affected the violent crime.”
More broadly, the department’s community policing strategies are meant to seek to achieve positive interactions and early interventions with youth, positive relationships with teens and young adults, outreach with neighborhood and community groups, enhancement of relationships with business and non-profit organizations and initiate consistent, high-visibility patrols.
The six additional community services officers will try to curtail gun violence and violent crimes by expanding evening coverage, a dedicated crime analyst officer, a gang intelligence officer, a dedicated apartment liaison, a dedicated hotel/motel liaison, increased participation with juvenile offender reentry programs and area summer camps comprised mainly of at-risk youth, high-visibility patrols and other community policing initiatives.
WYDPS’ staffing will now consist of 99 sworn officers, with the COPS grant funding up to 75% of the additional officers’ wages and benefits over a three-year period.
Wyoming will need to maintain this staffing level for 12 months beyond the three-year grant period as a condition of accepting the funding.
The department says it will need help from additional local funding to maintain the additional sworn staffing numbers.
