Federal grants will add community policing officers to NEPA departments

WILKES-BARRE — Three police departments in Northeastern Pennsylvania will receive a combined $1.1 million in federal funds to hire nine officers to boost their community policing efforts.

Wilkes-Barre received the largest share of $500,000 for four officers under the Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services hiring program grants announced Wednesday by U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-Moosic. Pittston’s share was $275,000 for two officers and $375,000 went to Pocono Township in Monroe County for three additional officers.

Speaking at press conference in the lobby of the Wilkes-Barre City Police Department headquarters downtown, Cartwright said the grants typically are five year commitments with the federal government covering the costs for three years and the municipalities are responsible for the remaining two years.

The event took on the air of a campaign stop for Cartwright, who is running for reelection for a sixth term to Congress against Republican Jim Bognet, as he touted his chairman role on the House Appropriations subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science and his ability to bring home approximately $72 million in funding over the past two years for community projects, scoring a number one rank among the 18 legislators in Pennsylvania and sitting among the top 10 of 435 congressional districts nationwide.

Just four COPS Hiring grants were awarded in Pennsylvania, with three of those departments in his 8th District, Cartwright noted.

“Each of these departments that we’re talking about today told me very clearly that they would not be able to do this work to hire these officers without funding from the COPS Hiring grant,” Cartwright said.

Cartwright broke down the specifics for each department’s use of the funding:

• Wilkes-Barre will focus on a problem-solving program for high-crime areas and strengthening relationships with community partners

• Pittston will bring on officers who will specialize in state-of-the-art techniques that aim their work with victims witnesses and suspects’ cellular devices

• Pocono Township will help build relationships within the community to address problems such as theft burglary and drug deals

When asked why additional money was needed for police who are supposed to be out in the community, Cartwright deferred to Pittston Mayor Mike Lombardo and Wilkes-Barre Mayor George Brown before responding.

Lombardo said municipal leaders have target levels for staffing. “What this grant really allows us to do is sort of soften that blow in the budget and move it over time and allow us to shift gear,” he said.

Pittston grew its force to 10 from eight when it received a COPS Hiring grant and the full-time staff remains at that level. “So this is really, I think, a way for us to get ahead of a schedule that we have. We can always use more police. More police causes less strain that really, at the end of the day, results in efficiency,” Lombardo said.

Lombardo said he expects to be around in five years and the two officers hired with the grant also to be on the force.

Brown pointed out he set up substations throughout the city as part of the department’s community policing program.

“Right now we’re budgeted for 83 police officers. We’re going to go to 87 with the help of Mr. Cartwright,” Brown said. “That means more community policing presence in the neighborhoods.”

Directing his comment to a reporter, Cartwright said, “I was searching for a way to be polite in telling you I didn’t like your question.”

The new hires will complement the programs already in place, Cartwright said.

“I just got done bragging about it. Down in Washington I brag about how great our police officers are in Northeastern Pennsylvania at community policing,” Cartwright said. “We don’t have the big city problems around here that other places have in the country. And it’s because of the hard work and dedication and devotion and valor of our police in Northeastern Pennsylvania. And the answer is why are we giving them more money? Because more policing is better.”