The U.S. Department of Justice as part of its community-oriented policing initiative has awarded the Marietta Police Department $857,000 to hire six new police officers, which will help make the city safer.
The grant will pay the full salaries and benefits of the six officers over the next three years as part of the federal stimulus package.
The grant will allow the city to put more officers on the job, and the increased visibility will help reduce crime while decreasing response times to calls for help.
“The stimulus money was awarded to the Police Department because of our commitment to community policing including M-Star,” said Sergeant Clayton Little, who wrote the grant application. The citywide M-Star program combines community policing and computer analysis of crime trends with accountability of city staff and public involvement. M-STAR has resulted in many successes, the most notable being a reduction of crime.
Little expects potential officers to be interviewed in the coming weeks.
For more information, call the Marietta Police Department at 770-794-5300.
