The watervliet city police department is seeking funding through the U.S. Department of justice cops office accreditation program to support our agency's pursuit of initial law enforcement…

The Department of Justice Community Oriented Policing Program awarded $200,000 to the City of Watervliet on October 1, 2025, under the Public Safety Partnership and Community Policing Grants program (CFDA 16.710) to support the Watervliet City Police Department's pursuit of initial law enforcement accreditation through the New York State Law Enforcement Accreditation Program.

The funding supports the purchase and installation of a prefabricated evidence storage building on existing city-owned property in Watervliet, New York. The dedicated, secure facility will meet accreditation standards for property control, chain of custody, and facility security, addressing current infrastructure deficiencies in evidence management. The project plan includes procurement, installation, staff training, and policy alignment under the NYSLEAP framework. The department will sustain accreditation efforts beyond the grant period through integration of the evidence facility into standard operating procedures, annual training, budgeting, and internal evidence audits.

The period of performance runs from October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2027. This is a Project Grant assistance type.

The watervliet city police department is seeking funding through the U.S. Department of justice cops office accreditation program to support our agency's pursuit of initial law enforcement accreditation through the new york state law enforcement accreditation program (NYSLEAP). A critical requirement of the accreditation process involves maintaining a secure, organized, and environmentally controlled evidence storage system that meets the program's stringent standards for property and evidence management. Currently, the department lacks adequate space and infrastructure to properly store and secure evidentiary materials in accordance with accreditation guidelines. To address this deficiency, we propose the purchase and installation of a prefabricated evidence storage building. This structure will provide a dedicated, secure, and compliant space for storing evidence and will be installed on existing city-owned property without the need for additional construction or renovations, in accordance with nepa restrictions. The prefabricated unit will directly support our ability to meet accreditation standards related to property control, chain of custody, and facility security. Upon award, we will implement a project plan that includes procurement, installation, staff training, and policy alignment under the guidance of the NYSLEAP framework. The department will sustain accreditation efforts beyond the grant period through the integration of the evidence facility into standard operating procedures, annual training, budgeting, and internal evidence audits.