The Peoria Police Department would hire six additional officers if it secures a federal grant through the Department of Justice. City Manager Patrick Urich says the initial grant application was to hire 10 officers over four years with a 25-percent local match. Urich says new changes mean that the city would instead pay for the majority of the officer salaries if it receives the grant. He says the city plans to only hire six officers to compensate for the change:
“That we would be able to then utilize for targeting certain crime hot spots in the city and to provide some additional attention for those areas. So it should help to build upon the efforts of the Don’t Shoot program and allow us to continue to focus on those areas where we see the criminal activity is the greatest,” Urich says.
The City Council gave direction to staff to still pursue the grant for fewer officers at its meeting Tuesday. Urich says the City should find out in October if it secures the four-year federal grant.