Governor Gretchen Whitmer on Monday announced that $30 million in grant scholarships are now available to help local law enforcement agencies hire more police officers by providing funding to help cover basic law enforcement training academy costs and recruit salaries for individuals employed by a law enforcement agency and enrolled in an academy session.
“As a former prosecutor, public safety is a top priority, and I will work with anyone to ensure state and local law enforcement agencies have the resources, personnel, and training they need to keep our communities safe,” said Governor Whitmer. “After listening to law enforcement across the state, we are delivering $30 million in funding to help them hire additional officers. This funding is a critical component of our plan to boost investment in public safety across the state. Every Michigander deserves to feel safe while going to the grocery store, dropping their kids off to school, or taking a walk around the block.”
The Public Safety Academy Assistance Program is a grant scholarship established to help address the critical need for additional police officers by reducing or eliminating the cost associated with basic police training for hiring agencies. Under this program, law enforcement agencies are eligible for up to $4,000 per recruit for salaries and benefits, and up to $20,000 for academy tuition and other training costs that are traditionally paid for by the employing agency. Applications are now open for agencies who intend to enroll recruits in an academy session beginning on or after January 1, 2023.
Funding for the Public Safety Academy Assistance Program comes from the FY 2023 bipartisan budget Governor Whitmer signed in July that includes several investments to improve relationships between communities and law enforcement and graduates more state troopers to protect families and communities.
“This grant program will help local law enforcement agencies screen, hire and enroll individuals to a basic law enforcement training academy increasing the number of police officers in our state,” said Timothy S. Bourgeois, Executive Director of the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES). “The availability of these scholarships may allow agencies to recruit and hire police officers who may otherwise not have had the means to pay to attend a law enforcement academy.”
- $30 million in total program funding.
- Agencies may receive up to 25 scholarships over the course of the program.
- The grant program will last until September 30, 2026, or until the appropriated funds are expended.
- The grant does not apply to recruits who are not already hired by an agency prior to academy enrollment.
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