LAUTENBERG, PASCRELL & PAYNE ANNOUNCE $1 BILLION IN NEW FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR MUNICIPALITIES TO PUT MORE POLICE ON THE BEAT, AVOID LAYOFFSNEW FEDERAL PROGRAM WILL FULLY FINANCE FIREFIGHTER HIRES; FUND FIREHOUSE CONSTRUCTIONMONTCLAIR-- With municipal services and staffing being compromised in many communities due to budgetary problems in this difficult economy, U.S. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) and U.S. Reps. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-08) and Donald Payne (D-NJ-10) joined first responders from around the state at the Montclair Fire Headquarters and Police Dispatch Center to announce that starting today, police departments can begin to apply for $1 billion in new federal funding to hire, retain and rehire police officers.  The Senator and Congressmen also announced new programs that have been made available in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for firefighter staffing and firehouse construction.    "In these tough economic times, our police officers and firefighters need every resource we can provide to help ensure public safety.  This grant program is a terrific opportunity for communities to help prevent budget cuts, hire the law enforcement and first responders they need, improve training and buy more equipment.   I encourage police and fire departments throughout New Jersey to apply for federal assistance under these programs," said Sen. Lautenberg, who set up a special section of his Web site to help law enforcement officials and communities in New Jersey learn more about these grants.The Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Recovery Program (CHRP), which was signed into law by President Barack Obama as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act on February 17, will fully fund entry-level salaries and fringe benefits for full-time police officers over a three year period.  Under the new law, these grants can be used to hire new officer positions, rehire officers who have been laid off and retain officers who are scheduled to be laid off as the result of budget cutbacks.  There is no cap on the number of positions a law enforcement agency may request."A bad economy is no excuse to compromise public safety," stated Pascrell, a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security.  "The COPS hiring program was incredibly successful in putting new cops on the beat and driving down crime in 1990's.  The program experienced deep and unfortunate cuts over the last eight years, but I am pleased with the Obama Administration's decision to immediately fund the COPS program at a robust level once again.  This renewed commitment to community policing will return a sense of safety to our neighborhoods and commercial districts and assist police in fulfilling their mission." The COPS program was created in 1994 under President Bill Clinton's leadership to drive down crime by putting more police on the beat and advancing community policing.  It has awarded over $11.4 billion to over 13,000 law enforcement agencies funding more than 118,000 community policing officers throughout the United States.In a 2005 General Accounting Office (GAO) evaluation of the COPS program, it was estimated that COPS funding contributed to a 1.3% decline in the overall crime rate and a 2.5% decline in violent crime between 1993 and 2000.The COPS program has delivered over $368 million in federal funding to New Jersey since 1994 benefitting 472 local law enforcement agencies in the Garden State.  Montclair alone has received over $1.5 million in COPS grant funding.Grant applications for the COPS Recovery Hiring Program become available today.  April 14, 2009 is the deadline to complete the application.  Grant funding will begin to be allocated in May of this year.  The application can be accessed on the following site: http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/Default.asp?Item=2108Members of the New Jersey Sates Police Benevolent Association (PBA) including President Tony Weiners and the New Jersey State Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) joined the announcement to demonstrate their strong support for the COPS Hiring Recovery Program. In addition to assisting municipalities preserve and enhance law enforcement efforts, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provides over $210 million for firehouse construction projects and waives the matching requirement of a critical federal firefighter staffing grant program.    The Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program, which required grant recipients (municipalities) to pay a percent match for each federal dollar in federal funding granted, has been changed in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to ease the burden on municipalities and encourage them to hire new firefighters.  Now municipalities that are awarded a SAFER grant will be exempted from paying any matching funds for the entire five-year life of the grant.  The SAFER exemption will be applied to all 2009 and 2010 grant recipients.Members of the Firefighters Mutual Benevolent Association (FMBA) including President Bill Lavin and the Professional Firefighters Association of New Jersey (PFANJ) participated in making the announcement showing their support for the new programs.    "Firehouse construction will put people to work and improve fire services in our communities," stated Pascrell.  "But without adequate staffing, our firefighters will be harder pressed to ensure the highest level of public safety.  I fought hard for the SAFER grant matching fund exemption so that municipalities can preserve critical services without further burdening local taxpayers in this difficult economy.  I regret that the program will not work retroactively to relieve municipalities that have already been awarded grants, but am confident it will help dozens of departments expand their services." "These new federal programs have the potential to save lives and drive down crime.  I urge all police and fire chiefs, mayors and administrators to get to work and begin filling out applications." concluded Pascrell.  ###