Berkeley Gets Funding To Hire 10 New Police Officers

BERKELEY, NJ — The Department of Justice gave Berkeley Township a $1.25 million grant, which the township will use to hire 10 new police officers.

“We have aggressively pursued this funding to help strengthen our police department without impacting local taxpayers," said Mayor Carmen Amato, who announced the funding Monday with Police Chief Karin DiMichele. "With upcoming retirements and a growing population, the 1.2 million in funding couldn’t come at a better time."

The funding comes from the DOJ Community Police Oriented Services' COPS Hiring Program (CHP). The competitive program is designed to reduce crime and advance public safety through direct funding to hire police officers.

The grant will offset the salary costs of the prospective new officers for a three-year period, with the township fully absorbing costs starting the fourth year. The new officers will aid the Berkeley Police Department's community-policing efforts and also focus on combating the effects of the opioid epidemic.

"The Council and I would like to thank Bruno Associates (the township's longtime grant-writing team), Administrator John Camera, CFO Fred Ebenau and Lt. Ryan Roth for working together on the successful application," Amato said. "Chief DiMichele and I look forward to hiring these additional officers over the next two years."

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