DOJ announces COPS Secure Our Schools 2010 grant program

Approximately $16 million is available to provide funding to law enforcement agencies to assist with the development of school safety resources and provide improved security at schools and on school grounds.

WASHINGTON, DC, May 19, 2010 -- The COPS Office is pleased to announce the availability of funding under the COPS Secure Our Schools (SOS) 2010 grant program. Approximately $16 million is available in FY 2010 to provide funding to law enforcement agencies to assist with the development of school safety resources and provide improved security at schools and on school grounds. This program will fund up to 50% of the total cost to implement one or more of the following options: placement and use of metal detectors, locks, lighting, and other deterrent measures; security assessments; security training of personnel and students; coordination with local law enforcement; and/or any other measure that may provide a significant improvement in security.

All local, state, and tribal law enforcement agencies that have primary law enforcement authority within a partner primary or secondary school are eligible to apply. An agency with primary law enforcement authority is defined as the first responder to calls for service for all types of criminal incidents within the partner school(s). Primary and secondary schools are defined as kindergarten through 12th grade. As noted above, there is a 50% local cash match requirement under this grant program.

The online application system for FY 2010 applicants will be available on or around June 2, 2010 through the COPS Office website: www.cops.usdoj.gov. There will be two deadlines for the FY 2010 Secure Our Schools program. The deadline for priority consideration will be June 21, 2010, and the second and final deadline will be July 2, 2010. Please note that applications will only be accepted through the COPS website this year.

The funding for this program is competitive, and as such it is recommended that interested law enforcement agencies use this time prior to the opening of the solicitation to contact and develop partnerships with area schools that need to enhance or improve school safety and security equipment and/or measures.

Background

America’s children spend more time in school than almost any other place outside the home. That places a huge responsibility on American schools and those charged with keeping them safe. In a time when a variety of weapons traffic illegally among America’s youth, maintaining school safety becomes an increasingly difficult task. Classrooms no longer depend solely on teachers, but on teams of administrators, health care workers, security staff, and law enforcement professionals. Keeping America’s children safe has become one of this nation’s most successful collaborations, and it is a shining example of effective community policing.

The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) has long demonstrated a commitment to school safety. The COPS Office has invested approximately $912 million in America’s schools through programs like Secure Our Schools (SOS), COPS in Schools, School-Based Partnerships, and the Safe Schools Initiative. In fiscal year (FY) 2010, SOS will distribute nearly $16 million to help schools with a demonstrated need for both improved security and financial assistance to address growing safety concerns. Grantees are required to contribute a local cash match of 50 percent toward the total cost of the approved grant project.

Grant Program Funding Provisions

A COPS SOS grant provides funding to state, local, or tribal governments to assist with the development of school safety resources. This funding allows recipients the opportunity to establish and enhance a variety of school safety equipment and/or programs to encourage the continuation and enhancement of school safety efforts within their communities. The COPS Office is optimistic that this grant program will help place agencies at the forefront of innovative school safety developments. Funding under this program pays for such things as:

• Placement and use of metal detectors, locks, lighting, and other deterrent measures
• Security assessments
• Security training of personnel and students
• Coordination with local law enforcement
• Any other measure that may provide a significant improvement in security.

All local, state, and tribal law enforcement agencies that have primary law enforcement authority within a partner primary or secondary school are eligible to apply for SOS. The grant is two years (24 months) in duration, and provides a maximum federal share of $500,000. Agencies are required to contribute a local cash match of 50 percent towards the total cost of the approved grant project during the grant award period. Additionally, the SOS statute, 42 USC § 3797b(a)2, requires all applicants to include an assurance that the application was prepared after consultation with individuals not limited to law enforcement officers (such as school violence researchers, child psychologists, social workers, teachers, principals, and other school personnel) to ensure that the improvements to be funded under the grant are –

(A) consistent with a comprehensive approach to preventing school violence; and

(B) individualized to the needs of each school at which those improvements are to be made.

The FY 2010 SOS Program is placing a greater emphasis on school safety assessments. All applicants must have conducted a school safety assessment within the last three years for the schools targeted through the grant application or request funding through the grant application to conduct a school safety assessment for those identified schools. An exception to this requirement may be granted if the applicant is already planning an assessment for the targeted schools with other funding during the two-year SOS grant period. These assessments should be used as strategic evaluation tools to identify school safety problems.

SOS applicants will be able to request budget items which are specifically linked to the resolution of school safety problems identified through these school safety assessments.

The COPS Office works with grantees to ensure the SOS Program addresses the most pressing security needs of young people while they are in school. SOS funding addresses a variety of existing and emerging problems relating to school security through responses that range from traditional to innovative and rely on both new technology and the experience of school administrators and law enforcement professionals.

Contact the COPS Office, Visit New Website

For more information about COPS Office school safety programs and resources, call the COPS Office Response Center at 800.421.6770, or visit COPS Online at www.cops.usdoj.gov.

The COPS Office has also developed a special site – http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/Default.asp?Item=2368 – to provide more detailed information regarding the 2010 SOS program, including a summary of various application sections. Application information found at this site includes:

• Project Narrative Questions
• School Safety Assessment/Assurance Questions
• Sample Budget Narrative
• Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Description
• Community Policing Narrative Questions

Source: U.S. Department of Justice