Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Announces $750,000 COPS Grant to Hire New School Resource Officers

Hamilton County, TN – Earlier this morning, Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Hammond, U.S. Congressman Chuck Fleischmann, and members of the HCSO Command Staff and SRO Division officially announced a Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Grant received from the U.S. Department of Justice for $750,000 dollars.

Earlier this week, Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger and HCSO Sheriff Jim Hammond were notified by the U.S. Department of Justice, on behalf of Attorney General Loretta Lynch, that the HCSO had officially received a $750,000 grant to hire (6) additional School Resource Officers.

This new grant will continue to support the HCSO’s efforts to improve the safety, development, and mentorship of our young people in the Hamilton County Schools.

SRO’s perform an invaluable service in our schools by helping to keep them safe and help to foster a positive relationship between local law enforcement and our community’s greatest asset, our children and young people.

SRO’s function in many important roles within our public schools by teaching public safety classes and serving as positive role models and mentors for our children.

The schools chosen to receive these new SRO’s have yet to be determined at this time, however officials with the HCSO administration, HCSO SRO Division, and the HCDE will work together to see where these new SRO’s will be best utilized.

Special thanks to Support Services Director Gino Bennett for his continuous efforts to research, write, and submit federal grants to support the SRO Division and the HCSO.

The HCSO would also like to offer our appreciation to U.S. Congressman Chuck Fleischmann, U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander, and U.S. Senator Bob Corker for their continued efforts to support the work and mission of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office and for their support to help garner this very important COPS Grant.