Mid-Hudson News Network
POUGHKEEPSIE - Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney (D, NY18) came to Poughkeepsie to announce his support for a city police department federal grant through the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Program.
The grant would provide funding for five new full-time officers for three years which, in dollars, translates to being approximately $950,000 with an added $50,000 from the city.
After a recent string of violent crimes in Poughkeepsie, the city’s police force and elected officials have seen an urgent need for additional resources, as well as community policing.
Maloney noted in the last two months, there have been nine shootings, two of which were fatal.
“We know that we have a problem with gangs and with drugs and we know that resources make a difference and we know that the directed patrols and the efforts of this police department, when they are given the support they need, can stop these actions before they continue to spread,” said Maloney. “We know that the shootings have ceased once we were able to put resources toward the problem.”