Police/Fire
EBRSO Awarded $1.25 Million in COPS Grant to Hire 8 New Deputies, Sheriff Gautreaux to Form New Emergency Services Unit
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Submitted by the EBR Sheriff’s Office
The East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office has been awarded a $1.25 million grant to hire 8 new deputies from the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS). The $1.25 million will cover 8 of the deputies’ salaries for three years. Sheriff Sid Gautreaux is in the process of forming a new Emergency Services Unit (ESU) comprised of 8 current employees. The grant will cover filling the vacancies left by the eight that will serve in ESU.
The ESU will provide a rapid response to life-threatening incidents and other emergency situations. In many cases, ESU will be available to setup immediately to provide containment, evacuation, tactical/medical support, negotiations and intelligence. In addition, ESU will conduct tactical and other training, assist various departments including, but not limited to Uniform Patrol, Narcotics, Warrants, Community Policing, Violent Crimes Unit and SCAT. ESU will also patrol the community and supplement Uniform Patrol when call volumes are high, when assistance is required in setting up perimeters and in special community initiatives such as warrant roundups.
“This funding will give us the support to continue to put more feet on the streets of the parish,” Sheriff Sid Gautreaux said. “Community policing is so vital to keeping crime down in our community. I’m so pleased that we were awarded this grant so that we can continue to make the parish safer.”
The East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office is only one of three in Louisiana to receive the COPS grant. The Department of Justice also awarded COPS grants to West Monroe Police Department and New Orleans Police Department. The last time EBRSO received a COPS grant was in 1994 to form the Special Community Anti-Crime Team (SCAT).
“I have high hopes for ESU,” Sheriff Sid Gautreaux said. “We formed SCAT in 2004 using the same COPS grant. Today, SCAT is an integral part of our community. I think ESU will have the same kind of impact on our parish.”
The estimated amount of federal funds to be awarded to the jurisdiction is $1,257,560. Overall, the Department of Justice awarded $243 million in grants to 238 agencies aimed at creating and saving law enforcement jobs. The awards were made through the COPS Hiring Program, a competitive grant program that provides funding directly to state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to hire police officers dedicated to addressing specific crime and disorder challenges confronting communities. The grants provide 100 percent funding for the entry-level salaries and benefits of newly-hired, or rehired, full-time officer positions over a three-year period. For the 2011 COPS Hiring Program, 2,712 applications were received requesting more than $2 billion and 8,999 positions.
The grant awarded to EBRSO is specifically designated for community policing plans focused on homicide, rape, and repeat offenders.
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