Jackson Township has been awarded an $875,000 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to help fund the hiring of new police officers, Mayor Jennifer L. Kuhn announced Tuesday.
The competitive grant, awarded through the 2025 COPS Hiring Program, will cover up to 80% of the salaries for newly hired officers over the next four years, easing the financial burden on local taxpayers while allowing the township to expand its police force. The funding will support the hiring of approximately eight new officers over the next two years and partially fund their salaries for two years after that.
Mayor Kuhn said the grant represents a major investment in Jackson’s growing police department and will free up municipal funds to reinvest in other public safety priorities. “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,” Kuhn said.
The mayor credited months of coordinated work by the township administration, former Public Safety Director Lt. Joseph Candido, the Jackson Police Department, and the township’s newly hired grant writer. “It has been more than 20 years since the township put together a qualified and successful bid for this program,” said Council President Mordy Burnstein, who praised Kuhn’s leadership. “Without her dedication over the past ten months, we might not have had this grant.”
The COPS Hiring Program, one of the Justice Department’s key initiatives to strengthen community policing nationwide, provides funding for local law enforcement agencies to hire additional officers and enhance crime prevention efforts. About $156 million in federal funds was available nationwide this year.
The Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services notified Jackson officials this week that their application had been selected following a competitive review.
Burnstein said the award reflects a broader effort by township leadership to pursue federal and state funding opportunities. “For too long, we’ve let these opportunities slip by and go to the big cities,” he said. “This is what fighting for Jackson is all about.”
Mayor Kuhn noted that the township now plans to apply for the program annually. “The best part about this grant is that we can apply for it every year going forward,” she said. “This will help us maintain a strong, well-funded department for years to come.”
In addition to the new COPS grant, Kuhn said Jackson Township will continue to pursue other funding opportunities for police, parks, youth services, and senior programs. “This money is being collected by the federal government regardless,” Kuhn said. “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.”
