THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, December 22, 1994 TAG: 9412210139
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ROBERT LITTLE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 42 lines
Suffolk will have more police on the street next year, thanks to a national community policing program that will allow the city to hire three new officers.
The city got approval Monday to hire the officers under the federal Community Oriented Policing Services program, which will give the police payroll a $200,000 infusion over the next three years.
The new officers won't likely hit the streets for about nine months, police said this week, but the announcement still was hailed as welcome news to officers who have long sought to bolster the force.
``We feel very fortunate,'' read a formal statement released by the Suffolk Police Department. ``The extra officers will be a shot in the arm, . . . and the monies involved will help cushion the burden of operating expenses.''
The program won't come without a price. The city must pay 25 percent of the three officers' salaries, as well as the cost of recruiting, training and outfitting.
Training alone costs more than $20,000 per officer, police said.
Suffolk Police spokesman Mike Simpkins, who oversees recruitment for the department, said he hopes to have the new officers hired in time for the next scheduled police academy class in April. Officers are sworn in before the 12-week training class, but don't begin patrols until after graduation.
The new recruits - who would boost the number of police officers in the city to 106 - must be used to patrol communities, not as detectives or investigators.
The COPS program is part of President Clinton's promise to add 100,000 police officers to the nation's cities and towns. New officers were approved in other Hampton Roads cities this week, including nine in Chesapeake, six in Hampton and 17 each in Norfolk and Virginia Beach.
KEYWORDS: SUFFOLK POLICE DEPARTMENT FEDERAL GRANT by CNB