Three Southern Arizona law enforcement agencies will receive a total of $2.2 million from the federal government to hire more officers.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department will get the biggest share, $1.25 million, to fund 10 new positions, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release.
The Nogales Police Department will receive about $700,000 to fund three new positions, and the Sahuarita Police Department is getting $250,000 for two new hires, the DOJ said.
The grants, which cover a three-year period, are intended to bolster community policing, the federal agency said.
The Tucson Police Department didn’t apply for the funding because once the initial three-year grant expires, the cost of extra officers would have to be transferred to city taxpayers, said police spokesman Officer Frank Magos.
“With the (city) budget the way it is, it isn’t something we wanted to be involved in at this point,” he said.
Nationwide, nearly 600 police agencies are receiving the special funding, the DOJ said. The total cost to federal taxpayers is about $400 million. The funding will allow agencies to hire about 2,700 full-time law enforcement personnel.
In Arizona, grants were awarded to nine law enforcement agencies around the state, with funding ranging from $125,000 to $1.25 million, the DOJ said.
