COPS funding misses western N.C.

By Melanie Marshall

Very little of federal funds designed to put more community police officers on North Carolina streets could make it over the North Carolina mountains.

The federally-funded Community Oriented Policing Services program announced last week the distribution of $30.9 million to towns, cities and counties to hire or re-hire law enforcement officers.

Where did the money go?

The Watauga County Sheriff’s Office didn’t get funding to hire six officers and only one agency in western North Carolina will see a dime of the taxpayer-funded grant.

The U.S. Department of Justice Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program was revived by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, with a total of $1 billion available.

In North Carolina, 216 agencies applied for $180.6 million to hire 1,184 officers. In a statement issued by U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan, 50 North Carolina departments were awarded $30 million for 202 officers.
None of that funding came to the High Country.

In fact, the Waynesville Police Department was the only agency in western North Carolina to receive any of the funding with the lion’s share going to agencies in central and eastern North Carolina.

WSCO had submitted a grant application for $1.57 million to hire six officers, four road patrol and two for courthouse duties. Courthouse duties include transporting those housed in the detention center to court appearances.

“We have been visiting communities seeking input and found that many requested dedicated officers for specific areas in the county,” Sheriff Len Hagaman said. “Four more officers would have allowed for more concentration and help with coverage. The grant would have also created jobs in Watauga.”

The WCSO had the approval of the county commissioners to apply for the funding, which provides salaries and benefits for the new officers for a three-year period.

Of the agencies which received grants, a vast majority were municipal departments in the eastern part of the state. Hagaman said only three sheriff’s offices in the state received grants.

“Most awards went to municipal police departments and of those, a clear majority went to Piedmont and eastern N.C. localities,” he added.

“Every sheriff’s office has unique issues. For example, Watauga is rural and borders the state line. We applied for this grant in hopes to better tailor our coverage.”

Capt. Kelly Redmon of the WCSO filed the paperwork for the grant.

“We are disappointed, yes, but giving up, no,” Redmon said. “We will continue to apply for state and federal grants."

For a complete list of grant recipients, click here.