Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy announced Nassau County has received a $6 million grant from the US Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) to support integrated communication systems for first responders. The grants will cover the purchase of communications equipment, enhancements to communications infrastructure and project management expenses.

"Making sure our local first responders have the resources they need is a priority for me in Congress," McCarthy said. "The September 11 attacks thrust new responsibilities onto our police officers, firefighters, and emergency personnel. This grant will help see they have the communications resources necessary to do their jobs effectively and safely."

The grant was awarded under an Interoperable Communications Technology Grant program jointly administered by COPS and the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA). This new demonstration program is intended to encourage an increase in the number of integrated communications systems used by law enforcement, fire service and emergency medical service agencies in the same metropolitan area. Each recipient is required to provide a 25 percent match of the federal funds, which were capped at $6 million.

In an effort to ensure the greatest possible public benefit from the grants, COPS invited the anchor city from the largest Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) in each state and territory and the 50 largest MSAs in the country to apply for grants. After eliminating duplications from the two categories, there were 74 prospective applicants. Of that pool, 58 cities applied. A panel of law enforcement, fire and interoperable communications experts, who made funding recommendations to COPS and FEMA, reviewed the applications.

COPS provides law enforcement agencies with an array of community policing training and technical assistance resources intended to increase their capacity to fight crime. COPS also funds the hiring of community policing officers. Since 1995, COPS has provided more than $6.9 billion to nearly 13,000 state and local law enforcement agencies to hire over 118,000 officers, deputies, and troopers.

For information about COPS programs, visit www.cops.usdoj.gov.