Stimulus funds trickle down to RPD

Local News

August 1, 2009

By Ronica Shannon The Richmond Register Sat Aug 01, 2009, 11:17 PM EDT

The Richmond Police Department recently received more than $490,000 in federal stimulus money which will fund the salaries of three new officers over a period of three years.

The department received the fourth highest amount of stimulus funding out of 18 Kentucky grantees. The money was issued through the COPS Hiring Recovery Program, and 140 Kentucky law enforcement agencies applied for grants through the program.

“In this challenging economic climate, we feel fortunate to have received this funding that will allow us to add officers to the force at practically no cost to the city,” said Larry Brock, Richmond’s police chief.

Brock originally applied for $982,728, which would fund the salaries of six officers over a three-year time period. The amount allotted for the Richmond police force was $491,166.

The department is authorized for 70 police officers, not including the school resource officer positions, and there currently are 64, which is why the original proposal was for six officers, Brock said.

“We have since had an officer resign, so right now, we have seven positions to fill to reach our authorized full strength,” he said. “It will allow us to hire three new officers immediately and get them into training. Once they have completed their training, they will bolster the number of officers we are able to put on the street and in specialized units, such as investigations and narcotics, to better serve our citizens and the community.”

The grant requires that all of the funding be spent on salaries for the three officers. It also covers all costs associated with salary, including the city’s pension contributions, Social Security and worker’s compensation.

The COPS Hiring Recovery Program funding is based on the law enforcement agency’s current entry-level salary and fringe benefits for full-time, sworn officers.

Congress waived the recovery program’s previously required 25 percent local match, allowing the City of Richmond to save money that eventually would be needed to fill the police department staff.

Funding also was allotted to police departments in the cities of Benham, Cumberland, Henderson, Morgantown, Muldraugh, Newport, Paducah, Russell Springs, Russellville and Shepherdsville.

Recovery funds also went to the cities of Coal Run Village, Glasgow, Hopkinsville, Hyden, Radcliff, the Owsley County Sheriff’s Department and the Warren County Fiscal Court.

Nationwide, 7,272 law enforcement agencies applied for the grant funding adding up to more than $8 billion, and only 1,046 of those agencies were awarded with a total amount of $999 million.

The COPS Hiring Recovery Program summary for Kentucky showed that 881 police jobs were saved (or rehired or lay-off averted) and 3,818 new law enforcement career opportunities were created.

Ronica Shannon can be reached at rshannon @richmondregister.com or 624-6608.

Text Only

Local News

Measuring education
Brent Ray, a local contractor, helps Kit Carson Elementary third-graders Nathan Buck and Anijah Rembert measure an outside wall Thursday morning during a class project to determine the perimeter of the school. The third-grade class broke into groups to measure sections of the outside walls which they used to find the perimeter.

February 10, 2012 3 Photos
Kiwanis auction Saturday at City Hall
The annual Richmond Kiwanis Club auction will take place Saturday from 9 a.m. until about 5 p.m. with proceedings carried live on TimeWarner Cable Channel 12 and WEKY 1340 AM Radio.
“We have lots of great stuff, as we always do,” said Amanda Stepp, the auction coordinator.
“We have gift cards for almost every restaurant in Richmond as well as two pickup trucks that will be sold,” she said.

February 10, 2012
Man pleads guilty to voyeurism charge
A man accused of taking pictures of a woman showering at a Berea truck stop was sentenced to probation Wednesday in Madison District Court.
Paul S. Byrd, 41, of McKee, was arrested Oct. 29 by the Kentucky State Police after a woman reported the incident at the 76 Truck Center off Interstate 75.

February 10, 2012
Berea one of state’s first five cultural districts
The Kentucky Arts Council on Thursday named Berea one of the state’s first five certified cultural districts.
Although the legislature designated Berea the state’s Arts and Crafts Capital in the 1990s, this newest designation will draw even more attention and tourism to the city, said Belle Jackson, Berea’s tourism director.

February 10, 2012
LRC plans to appeal judge’s HB1 ruling
The leadership of the General Assembly announced Thursday it plans to appeal Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd’s ruling that the legislature’s plan to re-draw state legislative boundaries is unconstitutional.

February 10, 2012
Facebook post leads to arrest
A post on the Richmond Police Department’s Facebook page led to the arrest of a man suspected of stealing two Blu-Ray players from Walmart.
Walmart employees reported to police Jan. 25 that a man had concealed the electronics under his coat and attempted to leave the store without paying, said Richmond Police Chief Larry Brock in a news release.

February 10, 2012
Four indicted in Berea murder case
The death of a Berea man and the attempted murder of another came at the hands of four people, according to indictments handed down Wednesday by a Madison grand jury.

February 10, 2012 2 Photos
Friday at library : Lecturer to portray founder of Berea
John G. Fee, abolitionist and founder of both Berea and Berea College, will be portrayed Friday night by performer Obadiah Ewing-Roush as part of Kentucky Humanities Council Chautauqua performance series at the Madison County Public Library. There is no charge to attend the 7 p.m. event.
As the son of a slave-holding father, Fee witnessed firsthand the benefits of having slaves and the profits that could be made from their labor. When he graduated from college and enrolled in Lane Theological Seminary, he began to understand the inherent wrong and destructiveness of slavery.

February 8, 2012 1 Photo
Berea woman dies Tuesday in Laurel County crash
A Berea woman, Tommie Johnson, 60, died Tuesday evening in a Laurel County crash, according to the the Laurel Sheriff’s Office.
The accident took place about 7 p.m. at the junction of Maple Grove Road and KY 363 south of London, as Johnson was attempting to turn onto the state highway.
Laurel County Chief Deputy Eddy Sizemore said Johnson’s Chevrolet Cavalier pulled out in front of a Dodge Durango driven by Charles Joseph, 19, that was traveling south on KY 363.
After being extricated from her vehicle, Johnson was transported to St. Joseph-London hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Joseph also was transported to the hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries, according to the accident report.

February 8, 2012
Finally February
Ian Rosser, an Eastern Kentucky University student from Lexington, clears snow from his car parked on campus Wednesday
morning after about an inch of snow fell in Richmond. Temperatures are forcast to be in the upper 40s today. Kentucky has seen a lot of rain in the past few months, as was predicted by the Farmer's Almanac, but very little snow has fallen.

February 8, 2012 1 Photo
More Local News Headlines

Local News

Search Results

Stimulus funds trickle down to RPD

Have you ever attended a meeting of a local government agency or taxing district?

Site Map