Lynn cops dodge layoffs

LYNN – Nine city police officers will be spared layoffs because the Police Department on Monday received a $1.9 million federal grant that will help pay local law enforcement costs over the next three years.The money comes from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) as part of the Community-Oriented Policing Services’ (COPS) Hiring Recovery Program, often referred to as CHRP.U.S. Rep. John F. Tierney, a Salem Democrat, presented the award to acting Police Chief Kevin Coppinger during a brief ceremony at police headquarters. “This award could not have come at a better time,” said Tierney. “Because the Lynn Police Department is receiving this funding, they will not only be able to save the jobs of nine local officers but can ensure that Lynn remains a safe and vibrant community even in this tough economic climate.”Using money from the 2009 ARRA, the grants provide for three years of approved salary and benefits for entry-level officer positions, who must then be retained by the department for a fourth year.”This was a competitive grant. It took work to get it. They had to make a good case for needing the money,” said Tierney, commending Mayor Edward J. Clancy Jr. and the police for pursuing it.Clancy, who credited Deputy Chief Kenneth Santoro with doing most of the research and completing the grant application, said public safety remains a top priority in Lynn.According to Coppinger, the department had 177 sworn officers when the grant application was filed and that number must be maintained in order to remain eligible for the funds. The department currently has 174 officers.”We haven’t had to lay anyone off and this grant will help us keep things that way, but we’re not out of the woods yet,” said Coppinger, describing the grant as great news. “Like many other agencies, we’re faced with severe financial cuts this fiscal year and beyond, that will reduce the numbers of police officers on the street. This grant will lessen that impact and help us to continue to provide the best possible service to the community that we can.”Coppinger said the money will assist the department in maintaining its community policing and crime prevention efforts – both essential to public safety. To balance its budget over the past two fiscal years, the department eliminated five school resource officers, two Special Investigations Unit officers, and one each from the Gang Unit and the Domestic Violence Unit. The traffic enforcement program was also curtailed and the number of patrol cars on city streets at any given time was temporarily reduced.The average Lynn police shift today is comprised of six one-man cruisers, four two-man cruisers, three sergeants and one lieutenant.Only seven of the state’s 351 cities and towns received a CHRP grant. The Lynn award amounts to $650,000 a year and will allow the department to fill the current openings.The COPS Hiring Recovery Program (CHRP) grants are managed by the U.S. Department of Justice’s COPS office.