9.11.07:Rep. Costa Announces $133,375 Grant For School Safety In The City Of Lemoore

WASHINGTON, DC- Today, Congressman Jim Costa (D-Fresno) announced that a grant of $133,375 has been awarded to the City of Lemoore to enhance school safety. These funds are being awarded through the Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) to the Secure Our Schools (SOS) program to improve security in and around schools. The SOS program grants will be dispersed among 152 local law enforcement agencies to enhance school safety in 36 states.

"Students should be concentrating on their work, not worrying about their safety," said Costa. "It is our duty to provide a safe learning environment for our students and faculty, which is why programs such as Secure Our Schools are so vital to our community."

The SOS program will provide up to 50 percent of the total cost for municipalities to install metal detectors, locks, lighting, and other equipment to help prevent crime. The grants can also be used to pay half of the cost of security assessments, security training, and other measures that will provide significant improvements in security.

Since 1995, COPS has invested $12.4 billion to advance community policing and awarded grants to more than 13,000 state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies. These funds were allocated to hire more than 117,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products, such as training, technical assistance, and conferences. For additional information about COPS Secure Our Schools program, and to view a list of municipalities that received grants, visit COPS website at https://www.cops.uddoj.gov/.

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