Schumer, Gillibrand, Maloney and Local Officials Announce Federal Funding for Four New Police Officers in Newburgh

Press Release

Following yesterday's police chase in Newburgh, Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and Representative Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18) announced today federal funding for four new police officers at the Police Department in the City of Newburgh. This $500,000 investment is funded through the Department of Justice's Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring program. Rep. Maloney worked closely with the City of Newburgh Police Department to find resources to add additional officers, and working alongside Senator Schumer, Rep. Maloney helped cut through red tape at the Department of Justice to secure this much-needed funding. Last year, Rep. Maloney secured 15 new firefighters for the City of Newburgh which dramatically increase daily staffing levels and response times.

"Back in July, I joined with Newburgh cops to urge the Department of Justice to provide the funding Newburgh needed to hire four new officers, the maximum it is allowed under current program guidelines, and it is great news that the Attorney General has recognized the need and awarded the funding," said Senator Schumer, the author of the original legislation that established the CHP. "These four new officers will soon be on the beat and they will be able to make a huge difference in keeping more people safe throughout the community. Newburgh needs all the help it can get to lower crime, and this small investment in new officers will go a long way."

"This is a great investment for Newburgh's Police Department and for the community," said Senator Gillibrand, who wrote a letter to DOJ in July in support of the application. "Hiring more trained police officers will help improve public safety and better enable the police department to protect and serve the community; creating a better environment for families in the area. This funding is much needed to help tackle crime and make their streets safer and I will continue to push to ensure Newburgh is able to get more resources to recoup their loss of police officers and to help combat crime."

"After working closely with the Newburgh Police Department and advocating directly to the Department of Justice for over a year, we secured this strategic investment to allow Newburgh to hire four new police officers to patrol our streets - this doesn't just create jobs, it will protect our families and help our community prosper," said Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney. "I opened my office down the street in Newburgh because I know how important it is to get Newburgh right, which means bringing more resources and law enforcement to our neighborhoods to keep our communities safe."

"I applaud the Department of Justice for awarding the City of Newburgh Police Department this much-needed grant," said Senator Bill Larkin. "The four new officers will be a tremendous asset to the City and their presence will make the streets safer for everyone."

"This is excellent news for the City of Newburgh and the Police Department. Additional police officers are exactly what are needed to help create a safer city for all residents and give the hard working police force some reinforcements," said Assemblyman Frank Skartados.

"I am deeply appreciative of all the efforts by Congressman Maloney, Senator Gillibrand and Senator Schumer for supporting this grant and helping the City of Newburgh create more safety for its citizens by allowing us to hire four more police officers. Once again, teamwork and collaboration have moved us forward in revitalizing this City," said Judy Kennedy, Mayor, Newburgh.

"It is a great honor for us to be receiving the COPS Hiring award. A great deal of hard work went into this application and I want to thank the men and women of the City of Newburgh Police Department who put in so much extra time and effort beyond their daily duties to ensure we had a solid application that truly justified the requested funding," said Michael D. Ferrara, Chief of Police for the City of Newburgh. "Their efforts have paid off in our city getting the officers we need to continue our crime reduction efforts. These additional officers are desperately needed by the City of Newburgh to reduce crime and ensure public safety. Every officer this city hires is another step closer to the revitalization of Newburgh. As our officers work to reduce crime and disorder, the City becomes more attractive to home buyers, business leaders and investors. Crime reduction is the key to bringing back Newburgh. The men and women of this police department strive towards that goal every day and now they will have additional help to see this goal through to fruition."

The City of Newburgh Police Department currently employs 75 sworn officers and 11 non-sworn staff. In 2012, officers handled 31,400 calls for service, generated over 4291 incident reports, and arrested 2,878 individuals. Despite its excessive amount of violence and criminal activity, the City of Newburgh's police force has declined to 75 officers from 120 officers in 2000. This $500,000 investment provides the funding Newburgh needs to hire and keep four officers on patrol for at least three years.

The COPS Hiring Program (CHP) provides grant funding for the hiring and rehiring of additional career law enforcement officers in an effort to create and preserve jobs and increase grantee community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts. The FY 2014 COPS Hiring Program (CHP) is designed to advance public safety through community policing by addressing the full-time sworn officer needs of state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies nationwide. CHP provides funds directly to law enforcement agencies to hire new and/or rehire career law enforcement officers, and to increase their community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts.

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