Daviess County has received a total of of $308,008 in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Justice that will support community policing and coronavirus response, as announced Thursday afternoon by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
The Daviess County Sheriff’s Office received a $250,000 competitive federal grant from the DOJ’s COPS Hiring Program (CHP). With a goal to reduce crime and increase public safety through community policing, these federal resources can be used to hire two additional law enforcement officers.
“The Daviess County Sheriff’s Office was pleased to hear the news on the COPS Hiring Program Award of $250,000,” said DCSO Chief Deputy Barry Smith. “This funding will be used over a three-year period to hire two new additional deputies to our patrol staff. We appreciate Senator Mitch McConnell, Senator Rand Paul and Representative Brett Guthrie for their letters of support and overall efforts to help our office obtain this grant award.”
In addition, the DOJ Bureau of Justice Assistance is delivering $58,008 to support Daviess County’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. This federal funding is part of DOJ’s Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Funding program and was made available through the CARES Act.
These federal resources can be used for overtime pay for first responders and medical professionals; to address the needs of local jails; and to purchase personal protection equipment such as masks, gloves, sanitizer, and other coronavirus-related priorities.
During his recent visit to Owensboro Health Regional Hospital, McConnell announced the City of Owensboro also received nearly $66,000 from this same DOJ coronavirus response program.
To date, the Daviess County community has received more than $21 million from the CARES Act. This federal assistance supports the Owensboro Health Regional Hospital, Owensboro Community and Technical College, the Owensboro-Daviess County Regional Airport, the Audubon Area Community Care Clinic and local housing programs.
“I’m proud to work with strong local officials like (Judge-Executive Al) Mattingly and Mayor (Tom) Watson to respond to the coronavirus, support our first responders and help keep local families safe,” McConnell said. “During my recent visit to Owensboro, I was grateful for the chance to thank our courageous medical professionals who are on the frontlines of this crisis. I’ll continue working with them to protect our communities.”
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