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Vol. 21, No. 4 |
COPS Funds in Alaska
| Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage. (Winter 2005). "COPS Funds in Alaska." Alaska Justice Forum 21(4): 2-3. Since the establishment of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) in late 1994, Alaska has received over $62 million in grant funds from the federal government for policing in communities throughout the state. According to figures released by COPS, the money has made possible the hiring of over 324.1 full-time equivalent police officer positions. Over 90 Alaska police agencies, communities, and tribal groups have received funds from COPS since 1994. Funding for the COPS program has declined in the last several years and its future is now in doubt. This article updates an earlier article by the same title in the Summer 2002 issue of the Forum. |
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| > Alaska
local law enforcement > Community policing |
The original thrust of the COPS program
was to put additional officers into communities, both urban and rural,
so much of the Alaska grant money was either directed at hiring new officers
or at freeing sworn officers from administrative duties in order to permit
them to engage in direct police work. In general, the COPS hiring programs
have provided individual agencies with funds for additional officer positions
for a period of three years only. The program was not designed to be a
permanent source of funding for officer positions. COPS provided a percentage
of the money required for each position, with the recipient agency contributing
matching funds. In addition, the agency agreed to retain the new positions
for at least one full fiscal cycle beyond the expiration of grant funding.
Under certain conditions small communities could receive funding for an
additional year. COPS funding directed through the Tribal Resources Grant
Program, an important source for village Alaska, was structured by somewhat
different conditions.
Of the $62 million that has come to Alaska,
just over $30 million has gone to the Anchorage Police Department, the
Alaska State Troopers, the Fairbanks Department of Public Safety and the
Juneau Police Department. These four agencies were able to fund a total
additional 112.1 officer positions.
The total funding going to communities with
populations under 1000 has been around $16 million. This sum funded 167.6
FTE positions in approximately 70 rural communities as well as training,
equipment purchases and technical support.
It is not known how many of the COPS-funded
positions have turned into permanent positions—beyond the term specified
in the grant. According to the Alaska Police Standards Commission, at
the end of February 2005, there were 1190 certified sworn officers in
Alaska. Since 1994, the number of sworn officers has grown by at least
two-thirds. Some of this growth has undoubtedly been due to the influx
of COPS money.
Some communities that have received COPS
grants have officers—Village Police Officers (VPOs) or Tribal Police
Officers (TPOs)—who have not been certified by the Alaska Police
Standards Commission. The map appearing on page 4
shows the distribution of VPOs and TPOs, as well as Village Public Safety
Officers (VPSOs) at the end of February 2005.
On a national basis funding for the COPS
program has declined in the last several years and its future is now in
doubt.