Rep. Pete Aguilar announced that the San Bernardino Police Department (SBPD) received $5,383,549 from the Department of Justice (DOJ) Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant program. The funding will allow the department to establish community-based teams of officers within five districts of the city with the goal of improving relationships between community members and the department.

“In the past few months, we’ve seen thousands of Americans take to the streets to demand a change in our country’s policing practices. By investing in a community-policing model, we can establish a stronger connection between law enforcement officers and the neighborhoods they serve, leading to better outcomes for both the community and the officers. This funding will help SBPD continue their proactive work to modernize the department and establish a stronger partnership with San Bernardino residents,” said Aguilar.

“In 2019, the San Bernardino Police Department implemented several internal organizational changes to support a community policing model and philosophy. One change included assigning a lieutenant and district resource team to each of the five policing districts to help meet community needs. The department will use this grant money to hire 13 more police officers to support and enhance the current community policing efforts,” said SBPD Chief Eric McBride.

Rep. Aguilar serves as Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, the committee responsible for allocating funding for federal agencies and grant programs.