Today, Congressman Patrick McHenry (NC-10) announced a $500,000 U.S. Department of Justice COPS Hiring Program (CHP) grant awarded to the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office.

The Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office will use the FY 2020 CHP award to fund four new school resource officer positions for Cleveland County Schools. With the addition of these officers, every school in the Cleveland County Schools system will have a resource officer for the first time.    

“This is major milestone for school safety and public safety in Cleveland County,” stated Cleveland County Sheriff Alan Norman. “We cannot thank Congressman McHenry enough for his support of law enforcement and all he has done for Cleveland County over the years.”

“Cleveland County is a special place and a big part of that is because of the relationship its law enforcement has with the community,” said Congressman McHenry. “Sheriff Norman and his department are true servants in their community. A school resource officer doesn’t just protect a school, he or she is there as a mentor and role model and I’m happy that this grant makes that more available in Cleveland County.” 

The Department of Justice’s COPS Hiring Program is a competitive award program intended to reduce crime and advance public safety through community policing by providing direct funding for the hiring of career law enforcement officers. In addition to providing financial support for hiring, CHP provides funding to state, local, and tribal law enforcement to enhance local community policing strategies and tactics. In a changing economic climate, CHP funding helps law enforcement agencies maintain enough sworn personnel levels to promote safe communities.  

The Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office is one of five Tenth District departments to receive CHP funding in the FY 2020 cycle for a total of $2,783,278 in funds going to Tenth District departments.