Community Policing: Maine Police Departments Receive $2 Million in Federal Grants from DOJ

Six police departments across Maine have been awarded a total of just over $2 million in federal grants to support various community policing initiatives, including the hiring of additional entry-level officers, school violence prevention and improving mental health crisis intervention.

The $2,075,000 in grants were awarded to the Maine law enforcement agencies and municipalities as part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant programs.

The Justice Department’s COPS grant funding falls into four categories: the COPS Hiring program, to hire new entry-level law enforcement officers; the School Violence Prevention Program, to improve safety measures for students and staff; Community Policing Development, to support police mental health crisis intervention teams; and the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Program, to improve the delivery of mental health services for law enforcement officers and staff.

The DOJ awarded a total of over $600 million to police departments and other stakeholders nationwide through their COPS Office.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a Tuesday press release that the funding will provide for the hiring of nearly 1,200 additional officers at 235 police departments across the country.

Since it was established in 1994, the Justice Department COPS Office has disbursed more than $20 billion in grants and funded the hiring of approximately new 138,000 officer positions, according to the DOJ.

“Law enforcement officers willingly place themselves in harm’s way to protect our communities. It is our responsibility to equip them with the resources they need,” said U.S. Senators from Maine Susan Collins (R) and Angus King (I) in a joint statement announcing the slate of grants.

“This important funding will help improve community policing across the State of Maine, enhance school safety, and provide essential mental health support for law enforcement officers,” Collins and King said.

The Maine recipients of the grants are:

COPS Hiring Program

• Town of Rangeley: $125,000
• Rumford Police Department: $250,000
• City of Westbrook: $250,000

School Violence Prevention Program

• Lewiston Public Schools: $500,000
• Maine School Administrative District (MSAD) 17: $500,000

Community Policing Development

• Rumford Police Department (will lead county-wide accreditation program): $250,000

Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Program

• Maine Indian Township Tribal Government: $200,000

The Rumford Police Department, recipient of $500,000 from two DOJ grants, said that the funds will be used to support the hiring of additional officers and to initiate a law enforcement accreditation project in Oxford County.

Rumford Police plans to use the $250,000 COPS Hiring Program grant to hire two new full-time officers to address the rising number of mental health-related calls the department receives.

In 2023, mental health-related calls made up nearly 10 percent of the department’s 6,468 calls, Rumford Police said.

“Mental health crisis calls are some of the most complex, challenging and most dangerous situations our officers face,” said Rumford Police Chief Tony Milligan. “This grant will provide much-needed relief, enabling us to dedicate resources to these calls and enhance the safety of both officers and community members.”

Rumford Police will also be leading a county-wide accreditation program, involving all law enforcement agencies in Oxford County — Rumford, Oxford, Norway, Paris and Fryeburg Police Departments, as well as the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office.

Alongside Dirigo Safety, LLC, a Maine-based private law enforcement consulting and training company, the Oxford County law enforcement agencies will be pursuing accreditation through the Maine Law Enforcement Accreditation Program (MLEAP), focusing on community policing policy development, officer training, evidence and property room audits and improving transparency with the public.

“Maine’s police officers play a critical role in keeping our communities safe,” said Maine’s 2nd District Congressman Jared Golden in a statement Tuesday.

“They should get every resource they need to do that job effectively, and today’s awards will make a meaningful difference for departments across the state,” Golden said. “I’ll continue pounding the drum for programs like the COPS Office that deliver these kinds of results.”