Golden Announces $1.8 million for police departments in Maine’s School District

WASHINGTON, DC—Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) announced today that Maine’s Second Congressional District will receive more than $1.8 million from the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office for rural hiring and public safety improvements.

“Maine’s police officers play a critical role in keeping our communities safe,” Golden said. “They should get every resource they need to do that job effectively, and today’s awards will make a meaningful difference for departments across the state. I’ll continue pounding the drum for programs like the COPS Office that deliver these kinds of results.”

The COPS Office will distribute this funding through its COPS Hiring Program (CHP), School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP), Community Policing Development Program (CPD), and Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act Program (LEMHWA). Together, these programs offer competitive grants to state, local, and tribal governments to improve public safety.

The newly announced awards are as follows:

COPS Hiring Program (CHP)

CHP funding is awarded directly to law enforcement agencies to hire and retain officers amidst Maine and national shortages. Second District awards include:

• $125,000 for the Town of Rangeley to hire one additional officer;
• $250,000 for the Town of Rumford to hire two additional officers;

COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP)

SVPP funding can be used by local districts on a variety of school safety measures, including specialized training for students and staff, deterrence measures such as locks and lighting, and coordination with law enforcement. Second District awards include:

• $500,000 for the City of Lewiston;
• $500,000 for the Maine School Administrative District 17, based in Oxford Hills.

Community Policing Development (CPD) Program

CPD funding supports state, local, territorial, and tribal law enforcement agencies in administering community policing. Funding can be put towards hiring community policing professionals, implementing new policing tactics, and training stakeholders on these methods. Second District awards include:

• $250,000 for the Town of Rumford to seek accreditation for their law enforcement agencies.

Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act (LEMHWA) Program

LEMHWA funding helps law enforcement officials provide and access mental health and wellness services. Funding can be put towards increasing understanding of mental health and wellness techniques among law enforcement officials and providing training and resources for officials to administer programs in their communities. Second District awards include:

• $200,000 for the Indian Township Tribal Government.

Golden has led several initiatives to strengthen the COPS office, which has dispersed over $20 billion and funded more than 136,000 new officer positions around the country since being established in 1994 — including $344 million and 1,730 new officers in 2023. He was an original cosponsor of tea Invest to Protect Act last Congress, which passed the House with 360 votes. He also helped introduce the bipartisan COPS on the Beat Grant Program Reauthorization and Parity Act in multiple Congresses to strengthen the programs funding and expand access to rural grants.