Jackson Township Mayor Jennifer L. Kuhn is pleased to announce that the Jackson Police Department has been awarded a competitive grant from the Department of Justice, which will help to pay for up to 80% of the salary for new police officers over the next four years.
The $875,000 grant will offset the costs of hiring new police officers over the next two years and partially fund their salaries for the following two years. The award comes after months of dedicated d work by Mayor Jennifer Kuhn, former Public Safety Director Lt. Joseph Candido, the Jackson Police Department, and the township’s new grant writer.
Mayor Kuhn said the grant will cover the approximately eight new officers planned over the next two years and will free up previously allocated money to reinvest in other equipment and services within the department.
“It has been more than 20 years since the township put together a qualified and successful bid for this program, and I’m proud of the hard work done by Mayor Kuhn,” said Council President Mordy Burnstein. “Without her dedication to this over the past ten months, we might not have had this grant.”
As Council President, Mayor Kuhn pushed for the township to start using professional grant writers last year, saying the township was missing out on many financial opportunities from the federal and state government due to losing out on bids.
“The best part about this grant is that we can apply for it every year going forward,” she said. “This will ensure that our police department can be fully funded going forward with money left over to continue replacing officers after they retire and as our needs evolve and grow into the future, without putting that burden directly on the property tax bills of our residents.”
The funding comes through the 2025 COPS Hiring Program, a competitive federal initiative designed to strengthen local policing efforts nationwide.
Township officials received notice this week that their application had been selected for the award following a review by the Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.
The grant will allow the Jackson Township Police Department to hire additional full-time career officers, expanding community policing efforts and improving crime prevention strategies across the growing municipality.
“I want to thank Mayor Kuhn for her dedication to finding grants to help us offset our municipal taxes,” said Council President Burnstein. “For too long, we have let these opportunities slip by us and go to the big cities all the time. This is what fighting for Jackson is all about.”
Burnstein said the mayor fought hard for this and other grants over the past year.
“I was fortunate enough to participate in these monthly grant meetings, and the mayor was relentless in making sure we properly applied and secured this funding,” Burnstein added. “She wouldn’t take no for an answer and found a way around every barrier that was put up against us during this process.”
Federal program supports community policing.
The COPS Hiring Program is one of the Justice Department’s primary tools for supporting local law enforcement. About $156 million in funding was available nationwide this year for local and state, agencies.
The grant covers a portion of entry-level officer salaries and benefits for a three-year period, helping departments meet staffing needs without overburdening local budgets.
Mayor Kuhn said that this grant is a major part of the department’s annual grant-funded programs, which also include annual traffic safety grants and the Cops in Shops grant. ‘
“We will continue to seek out and apply for grants not only for our police department, but for our parks and recreation, youth services, and seniors,” Mayor Kuhn added. “This money is being collected by the federal government regardless, and if we don’t apply and get these grants, other towns and cities will. This is a big part of our new Jackson first agenda.”
The Justice Department program’s goal is to build stronger partnerships between police and communities while improving public safety nationwide.