WILLARD, Ohio — Gov. Mike DeWine on Thursday awarded more than $8 million in grants to local law enforcement agencies across Ohio, including 10 around Greater Cleveland and Akron.
The money comes from DeWine's the Ohio Violent Crime Reduction Grant Program, which has already doled out more than $37 million to help police departments "strategically combat violence in their communities." The governor announced the latest round of funding during a visit to Willard, which itself will receive nearly $400,000 to boost hiring and retention bonuses.
"Many law enforcement agencies across Ohio are facing an increase in resignations and a decrease in new applicants to fill those vacant positions, which has a direct impact on the safety of their communities," DeWine said. "I am committed to supporting agencies that need help filling their ranks so that they can effectively protect their citizens and themselves."
Of the new grants, one of the largest will be headed to the Garfield Heights Police Department, which is getting $1.3 million for both advanced crime analysis tools and new technology to help identify repeat offenders and crime hotspots. Orange Village will also receive roughly $240,000 for technology that will better identify suspects.
In addition, seven other area departments will join Willard in getting grants to bolster employee salaries and maintain adequate staffing levels. They are:
- Strongsville Police Department — $1.6 million
- Twinsburg Police Department — $910,000
- South Euclid Police Department — $382,000
- Crestline Police Department — $343,000
- Kent State University Police Services — $297,000
- Willoughby Police Department — $204,000
- Silver Lake Police Department — $54,000
DeWine will speak with officers from Brooklyn and Cortland on Friday, with both agencies already receiving earlier grants of $181,000 and $112,000, respectively. Earlier this week, the governor announced he will be awarding a total of $100 million in grants through the program, up from the previous limit of $58 million.