Mercer County Sheriff's Office Awarded Community Policing Grant

The Mercer County Sheriff’s Office received a Community Policing Initiative grant for $9,500 as part of a new program that provides grants to police departments for initiatives aimed at fostering strong police-community relations, Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino announced on Tuesday.

A total of $219,000 in grants were awarded to 28 police departments across New Jersey from the “Detective Matthew L. Tarentino Community Policing Grant Program.” The program is named in honor of Detective Tarentino, a Summit police officer the Attorney General said epitomized the goals of community policing.

Porrino announced the launch of the new program in June. It offers competitive grants of up to $10,000 per department for police to fund innovative community policing initiatives in honor of Tarentino, who was killed in a motor vehicle accident on May 30.

Grants are funded by criminal forfeiture funds. The first round of grants was originally set at $121,000, to commemorate Tarentino’s badge #121. However, after the Attorney General’s Office received grant applications from 138 police departments, funding was drastically increased, to $219,000.

The second round of grants will be offered later this year, and departments that didn’t receive grants in the first round may re-apply, Porrino said. The 28 community policing proposals approved for grants in this round include police departments in all 20 New Jersey counties from which applications were received.

“The overwhelming response we received from law enforcement for this new program is a tribute to Detective Tarentino and a testament to the strong commitment of New Jersey officers to community policing,” Porrino said. “Detective Tarentino had a tremendous passion for public service and embraced the community he served in a remarkable way. The initiatives we are funding will honor his extraordinary spirit and keep that spirit alive across our state.”

“Every year we invite police departments to apply for a range of grant programs, but I can’t recall ever being inundated with applications like we were for this program honoring Detective Tarentino,” said Director Elie Honig of the Division of Criminal Justice. “Officers in New Jersey clearly understand that everybody wins when they engage in a personal way with residents and gain their confidence and trust.”

Community policing fosters relationships of collaboration, trust, and understanding between law enforcement agencies and their communities. The announcement coincided with National Night Out on Tuesday night, Aug. 1.

“Law enforcement agencies acting alone can rarely solve the difficult public safety problems facing communities in today’s world,” Porrino said. “Only with meaningful public support and engagement can law enforcement agencies begin to confront these complex issues and effectively protect and serve the public.”

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