Update published Aug. 28: The City Council did not get to the step of taking a vote on accepting the grant. Watch next week's Tribune for our story.
EVERETT — The Police Department won a U.S. Department of Justice grant to hire up to 16 police officers, Chief Dan Templeman announced last week, but there are a couple of caveats.
One, it can’t use the money to fill its force with grant-funded officers while simultaneously reducing its number of city-paid officers to create a budget cut
Two, after the three years of C.O.P.S. grant payments end, the department is obligated to keep the grant-hired officers at least an additional year, which could sting the city’s 2026 budget.
This week, City Council members will vote on approving the grant offer. Their conversation likely will focus on how many of the 16 available officer jobs should be taken.
The grant is worth up to $6 million in grant funding for the department.
The new officers would be for commissioned officers. The department can’t use the money to add social workers — the department asked, Templeman said.
The department is budgeted for 206 commissioned officers, of which 164 are rank-and-file officers, 26 are sergeants, eight are lieutenants and four are captains.
Templeman told council members last week that with more officers, as one example, the bicycle officer program could be doubled in size to put officers on bicycles beyond just downtown. The added officers would also be assigned to the patrol and traffic safety units.
Looking at the grant award winners when considering per-capita of their city size, Everett picked up one of the biggest grants this year with this $6 million grant. For comparison, Cincinnati, about three times Everett’s size, got $10.75 million for 86 officers; Milwaukee got $9.1 million for 30 officers; Houston got $8.8 million for 71 officers; New York City topped out with $11.5 million for 100 officers.
Jail diversion work crew program may be eliminated
In related news, in a City Council budget presentation last week, the city’s Safe Streets jail diversion program started in 2016 is listed as a potential cut.
The jail diversion program is a work crew program for individuals arrested for low-level crime to be referred for the work crew instead of jail. It’s run through a contract with Hope Works, a spinoff arm of Housing Hope, for $110,000 this year.
The work crew program had about 100 individuals complete the program last year, up from 77 in 2018 and down from 115 in 2017, from documented city figures.
“Participants pick up garbage, sweep streets, return grocery carts and clean up areas affected by street crime,” the city said in a 2016 press release. “They also have the opportunity to take classes and learn skills such as time management, communication and problem solving, and to be connected with treatment and service.”
The Safe Streets program is under community development director Julie Willie.
In fall 2015, a citizen-led task force made 64 recommendations focused on how to address homelessness. Current Mayor Cassie Franklin was among the task force members.
The City Council will hold its next public hearing on the budget Sept. 2. Franklin is scheduled to deliver her budget Sept. 16.
