BROOKLYN, Ohio — Brooklyn city leaders say they're trying to be proactive and a $500,000 grant will help them do just that.
“Public safety is of the utmost importance and Brooklyn is no exception, that’s a number one priority of mine,” said Brooklyn Mayor Ron Van Kirk. “Getting these officers on board, being able to have the funds to do that is very important."
It’s part of a $334 million dollar from the Department of Justice, specifically awarded to law enforcement agencies across the country to hire more officers and deputies.
The $500 thousand will be awarded to Brooklyn over four years and will help them hire four new officers in anticipation of future retirements.
“That will give us more guys on the street much quicker and then when we get to those retirements then the administration and council can make the decisions on if we want to keep these numbers at the higher level,” said Van Kirk.
Overall, Ohio received over $16 million dollars in total, including cities like Cleveland, Middleburg Heights, and others, all aimed at addressing an issue that everyone is facing.
"It’s not a surprise that the DOJ would be offering these kinds of grants and other things to be able to have departments think strategically about how to staff these departments," said Rachel Lovell Director of Criminology at Cleveland State University’s Research Center.
Our investigators have told you extensively how departments including Cleveland have been dangerously understaffed, and how the city has enacted several different measures to combat the problem, this fund adds to the fight.
“Whereas we used to have dozens of people take those tests for these positions, that number continues to shrink and the pool is getting smaller for that and that is what led the charge,” said Van Kirk.
