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Berkeley County to apply for COPS, SAFER grants to expand sheriff and fire staffing
Summary
The Berkeley County Commission voted to apply for a U.S. Department of Justice COPS hiring grant to fund five sheriff deputies and a FEMA SAFER grant to add up to 12 career firefighters; both applications require local matches and would increase recurring personnel costs after the federal funding ends.
The Berkeley County Commission voted to apply for two federal hiring grants that would add sworn patrol deputies and career firefighters to county public safety forces.
The commission approved applying for a U.S. Department of Justice COPS Hiring Program grant to fund five deputy sheriff positions and a FEMA SAFER grant to hire up to 12 firefighters. County staff and commissioners said the grants would cover a portion of compensation during the grants’ terms, but the county would be responsible for larger recurring costs after federal funding ends.
County officials said the COPS application requests five deputy positions under a 36-month award; the grant provides a fixed per-officer amount over the grant life and requires a 25% local match. Chad Womberg, deputy county administrator, said the DOJ award figure used in the application is $125,000 per…
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