HPD Receives $500K Grant

Help is on the way.

For the Harrisonburg Police Department, that help will come in the form of a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, according to a press release announcing the grant Monday afternoon from the offices of Virginia’s two U.S. senators, Mark Warner and Tim Kaine.

The grant comes from the Justice Department’s Community Oriented Policing Services grants, which are meant to fund law enforcement jobs and expand community policing and crime prevention initiatives.

The money will be used to fund four new HPD officers who will have specialized training and more responsibilities than a regular officer, according to a city spokeswoman.

Harrisonburg is one of two cities in Virginia that will receive funding. Bristol will be awarded $375,000 to pay for three new officers, according to the press release.

The grants are meant to cover 75 percent of funding for entry-level salaries and benefits for three years for each officer.