Northwest Wayne News

A $30 million grant will be given to Michigan law enforcement agencies in order to recruit more police officers.

According to a news release issued by the state government, police departments will also use the money in the Public Safety Academy Assistance Program to help pay for the training academy costs for cadets.

"As a former prosecutor, public safety is a top priority, and I will work with anyone to ensure state and local law enforcement agencies have the resources, personnel, and training they need to keep our communities safe,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) said in the release. “After listening to law enforcement across the state, we are delivering $30 million in funding to help them hire additional officers. This funding is a critical component of our plan to boost investment in public safety across the state. Every Michigander deserves to feel safe while going to the grocery store, dropping their kids off to school, or taking a walk around the block.”

The program was established to help law enforcement agencies recruit new police officers by mitigating the cost of basic training for police departments. The Public Safety Academy Assistance Program will provide law enforcement organizations with up to $4,000 for recruits and $20,000 for academy tuition. These costs are often paid for the hiring agency with the state taking applications for departments who intend to start an academy program on or after Jan. 1, 2023.

“This grant program will help local law enforcement agencies screen, hire and enroll individuals to a basic law enforcement training academy increasing the number of police officers in our state,” said Timothy S. Bourgeois, Executive Director of the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES). “The availability of these scholarships may allow agencies to recruit and hire police officers who may otherwise not have had the means to pay to attend a law enforcement academy.”