DC Awarded 'Vets to Cops' Hiring Grant

DC was among some 220 cities to be awarded funding to hire veterans through the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.

The grants will allow cities to hire veterans who have served "at least 180 days since September 11, 2001" according the the media advisory from the White House.

DC will receive approximately $625,000 in federal monies, which will pay for "just under half of the salary of the officers" for a three-year period, according to an MPD press release.

“The Metropolitan Police Department is pleased to be the recipient of a COPS Hiring Program award which allows us not only to put five additional officers on the street, but also to support the brave men and women who serve in the military,” said DC Police Chief Cathy Lanier in a prepared statement.

The Justice Department's COPS office will work with veterans' transition centers to put veterans in touch with the appropriate state and city-level agencies for the new grant-funded law enforcement opportunities.

"At a time of budget shortfalls, these grants will provide opportunities for much-needed, highly-trained professionals — with a proven commitment to service - to continue their careers in communities all across the country,” said Attorney General Eric Holder in a prepared statement.