This is historical material, "frozen in time." The web site is no longer updated and links to external web sites and some internal pages will not work.

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release August 5, 1999

VICE PRESIDENT AL GORE ANNOUNCES $5.9 MILLION TO ENCOURAGE HIRING OF

VETERANS AS POLICE OFFICERS

259 Law Enforcement Agencies to Receive $5.9 Million under Troops to

COPS Program

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Vice President Al Gore announced today the awarding of $5.9 million to 259 communities in 46 states to fund the hiring of 500 recently separated military veterans to serve as law enforcement officers under the Troops to COPS '99 grant program.

"The Troops to COPS program is an important part of this Administration's efforts to ensure that those who serve their country in the Armed Forces can continue to help this country after they leave the service," said Vice President Al Gore. "That is why I am pleased to announce today $5.9 million in grants to fund the hiring of 500 military veterans as law enforcement officers."

The COPS (Community Oriented Policing Services) program is the Clinton/Gore Administration's initiative to add 100,000 community policing officers to the beat and advance community policing nationwide. Community policing is a crime fighting strategy that encourages law enforcement to work in partnership with the community to solve crime problems.

Today's grants were made under the Troops to COPS '99 grant program. The program transitions members of the armed forces into community policing. Under Troops to COPS '99, departments that hire a veteran with COPS Universal Hiring Program grant funding are eligible to receive up to $25,000 for related hiring expenses, including funding for uniforms, basic issue equipment, and training.

In this announcement, 46 states received funding including: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

###