Newton County Sheriff’s Office will be able to hire seven new deputies and meet response time goals for priority calls with a $1.1 million COPS Hiring Program Grant.

The Newton County Board of Commissioners recently approved the Sheriff’s Office to accept the FY20 COPS Hiring Program, a three-year grant funded by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Board members voted Aug. 4 to accept the funds in the amount of $1,122,792.

“The Newton County Sheriff’s Office has been on the forefront of seeking out grant opportunities to assist with the needs of our agency and the community,” said Sheriff Ezell Brown in a news release. 

“The $1.1 million will afford us the opportunity to hire seven new deputies to patrol the Newton County community. With the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic causing unemployment for many, being able to open up additional job opportunities is truly a blessing.”

Under the COPS Hiring Program, the Sheriff’s Office will be able to:

• Hire seven entry-level deputies

• Meet response time goals for priority calls;

• Maintain adequate visibility as a deterrent to crime in neighborhoods;

• Improve the office's ability to enhance its community policing efforts with county residents;

• Field two-officer responses to dangerous calls for services;

• Sufficiently lower the crime rate through the use of consistent and comprehensive interdiction tactics;

• Adequately enforce traffic laws, which in turn affects mobility of its units

Additionally, the FY20 COPS Hiring Program will allow the Sheriff’s Office to increase its manpower on each shift, allow for more visibility during high peak times, and allow for better execution of day-to-day work assignments. 

"Through the program, the Sheriff’s Office will continue to build positive relationships with its community," a news release stated.

For more information about the COPS Hiring Program, visit https://cops.usdoj.gov/chp.