LOCAL

Several local police departments selected for hiring grants to address staff shortages

Garret Roberts
Beaver County Times

HARRISBURG ― Three of Beaver County's police departments will benefit from a new wave of $2 million in grant funding distributed by Pennsylvania lawmakers.

The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency announced that 31 departments will be funded through this new wave of grants, which have been awarded periodically since applications opened in October 2023. According to a release from the commission, these funds will help hire and train over 400 vacant law enforcement positions across the state.

“Every Pennsylvanian deserves to feel safe in their communities, and making sure communities have enough police officers on the beat is a key component for public safety,” said Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, chair of the PCCD. “Through this funding law enforcement entities can fill gaps which will in turn improve safety in our communities.”

Across Beaver County, these three departments received grants through this process:

  • Center Township - $28,000
  • New Sewickley Township - $10,000
  • Rochester Borough - $5,000

In Allegheny and Lawrence counties, the following departments also received grants:

  • New Castle - $35,000
  • Northern Regional Police Department - $15,000
  • Pittsburgh - $315,000

According to the release from the PCCD on Tuesday morning, the funding is broken down into segments of $7,000 per officer for the departments that do not cover the costs of Act 120 training or $5,000 for departments that do cover the costs of this training or are hiring pre-trained officers. A priority was given to areas that have high rates of violent crime and those with low clearance rates for these incidents.

The support comes amid several controversial changes to the way the Pittsburgh Police Department has been handling their community policing, which include reduced patrol times and staff sizes after 3 a.m. on most nights. According to the police department's chief, these changes were made due to a shortage of new officers leading to many personnel being over-worked.