Washington, D.C.—U.S. Representative Tom Allen announced today that the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) has approved a $44,000 grant to the Biddeford Police department under the “Secure Our Schools” (SOS) grant program.  The SOS program provides up to 50 percent of the total cost for municipalities to install metal detectors, locks, lighting, and other equipment to help deter crime.  Communities may also use SOS grants to pay half of the cost of security assessments, security training, and other security measures.

“The SOS program is only one of several COPS school safety initiatives,” Representative Allen said.  “I am an enthusiastic proponent of the COPS program because it provides funding to enable communities to undertake important public safety initiatives they might not otherwise be able to afford.  Since 1994, COPS has provided $10.6 billion in grants to more than 13,600 state and local law enforcement agencies, enabling them to hire over 118,000 officers” 

COPS has provided $746.9 million to state and local law enforcement agencies to hire and train more than 6,500 school resource officers. COPS also provides school safety training, and has published several technical assistance guides to help law enforcement agencies effectively address specific school and youth violence issues.

contact: Mark Sullivan, (207)774-5019