The purpose of the cops hiring program (CHP) program is to advance the practice of community policing through the hire or rehire of additional career law enforcement officers

The Town of Forest Heights, Maryland will receive $500,000 under a five-year Project Grant award from the Department of Justice's Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program. The grant funds will support the COPS Hiring Program, which aims to advance community policing through additional law enforcement staffing. Specifically, the Town will use the funding to hire and rehire career law enforcement officers through September 2026 to expand its community policing capacity and prevent and disrupt crime. The COPS Office established the Public Safety Partnership and Community Policing Grants program (CFDA 16.710) to help law enforcement agencies build partnerships with communities and implement problem-solving strategies to proactively address public safety issues through a philosophy of organizational transformation and community collaboration.

Funding under this award will be utilized by local law enforcement agencies to hire and rehire career law enforcement officers necessary to increase the jurisdiction's community policing capacity to prevent and disrupt crime and violence.