Grants For More Police Officers Too Costly For City To Accept After Three Years, City Would Have To Pick Up 100 Percent Of Salaries

Sat., Sept. 20, 1997

By Robin Rivers robinr@spokesman.com

FOR THE RECORD: 9-23-97 Agency correction: A Saturday story on page B1 incorrectly reported which law-enforcement agency would receive a federal grant to help pay for additional officers. The money was offered to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Department.

Spokane city officials will reject $225,000 in federal grants that would have put three more police officers on the streets.

City Manager Bill Pupo said the city can’t afford to pick up its share of the officers’ salaries.

“We just don’t have that kind of money,” he said. “Our priorities are on infrastructure. I cannot recommend new officers right now.”

This isn’t the first time the city has turned down federal money for street cops.

In May 1996, the U.S. Department of Justice promised $1.5 million to Spokane to hire 20 officers. In September, the federal agency offered another $750,000 to hire 10 additional officers. None of the money was accepted.

“We built the police department with 25 new officers in 1994 and 1995,” Pupo said.

“Since then, we have had to table grants for 33 officers. It’s not a priority right now. There are other things that we have to do.”

The grants pay 75 percent of an officer’s salary and benefits for three years, with the balance paid by local departments.

“If it was a grant for a specialized unit like domestic violence we could see that,” Pupo said. “But a matching grant isn’t feasible right now.”

Based on 1997 rates, an entry-level officer earns about $35,000 a year, including benefits. It costs another $15,000 to outfit an officer, which isn’t paid by the grant.

A second-year officer earns $41,300. A third-year officer earns $57,100.

“Our responsibility is that we keep those officers on after the grant runs out,” Pupo said. “That’s not financially possible.”

Police administrators did not return calls Friday.

On Thursday, President Clinton announced almost $24 million in grants aimed at adding 300 officers to law enforcement agencies in 10 states.

Spokane is one of two Washington counties offered grants. King County received $2.2 million for 29 officers.

, DataTimes

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