U.S. Department of Justice 
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services 

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Community Oriented Policing Services logo
www.cops.usdoj.gov 

Fact Sheet 

Universal Hiring Program 
Adding Officers to the Street 

"OUR CRIME RATE IS GOING DOWN
AND THE PEACE AND TRANQUILITY SO
LONG A TRADEMARK IN OUR
COMMUNITY ARE BACK. THIS HAS
BEEN THE MOST EFFECTIVE GRANT
THAT I HAVE SEEN IN MY 32 YEARS
IN THE PUBLIC SERVICE FIELD." 
FORMER POLICE COMMISSIONER
WILLIAM FLEET
ROME (NY) POLICE DEPARTMENT 

The Universal Hiring Program (UHP) is    
one of several programs developed by 
the Office of Community Oriented
Policing Services (COPS) to increase the
number of officers on the beat. As state, local, 
and tribal law enforcement embrace the
challenges of securing our homeland, this is
now more important than ever.

A decade ago as crime was soaring, law
enforcement officers were rushing from
incident to incident. Today, 10 years after
the Violent Crime Control and Law
Enforcement Act of 1994 was signed into
law, officers are walking the beat again.
Citizens now know the officers policing
their neighborhoods. Officers and citizens
are partnering to develop creative and
innovative ways to deal with long-standing
problems, as well as the emerging needs of 
homeland security and defense.

Supporting Local Law Enforcement 
The COPS Office has awarded hiring grants
through several programs over the course of 
its history. COPS formed the Universal Hiring
Program in 1995 to supersede early programs
such as Phase I; Accelerated Hiring,
Education, and Deployment (AHEAD); and
Funding Accelerated for Smaller Towns
(FAST). UHP enables interested agencies to
supplement their current sworn forces, or
interested jurisdictions to establish a new
agency, through 3-year federal grants. To date,
COPS has invested more than $5 billion to
hire more than 73,000 law enforcement
professionals through UHP and earlier COPS
administered hiring programs.

Funding Provisions  
The National Strategy for Homeland Security, 
the Administration's road map for securing the 
homeland, highlights the key role that state 
and local governments play in responding to a 
terrorist attack. In addition, terrorism  
preparedness and prevention have become key
responsibilities for state and local units.
Priority consideration will be given to those  
applications that demonstrate a use of funds 
related to terrorism preparedness or response  
through community policing. 
 
UHP grants cover up to 75 percent of the 
approved entry-level salary and benefits of
each newly hired additional officer position 
over 3 years. There is a maximum federal 
contribution of $75,000 per officer or deputy 
position over the 3-year grant period. A 
minimum 25 percent local match is required.
The match must be a cash match from funds 
not previously budgeted for any law 
enforcement purpose. Funding will begin 
once the new officers have been hired on or 
after the date of the award, and will be paid 
over the course of the grant. 
 
Waivers of the local matching requirement 
may be requested under UHP, but will be 
granted only on a showing of extraordinary 
fiscal hardship. 
 
COPS grant funds must not be used to replace 
local funds that agencies otherwise would 
have devoted to sworn officer hiring. The 
hiring of officers under UHP must be in 
addition to, and not in lieu of, officers who 
otherwise would have been hired with local 


funds. All grant recipients must develop a 
written plan to retain any COPS-funded 
officer positions awarded for at least one full 
local budget cycle after federal funding has 
ended. This plan must be clearly specified in 
the Retention Plan Certification form that all 
applicants are required to submit at the time 
of their application. 

Contact COPS 

For more information, call the 
COPS Office Response Center at 
800.421.6770, or visit COPS Online at 
www.cops.usdoj.gov. 

COPS offers a variety of 
publications, products, and 
training opportunities to 
advance community policing 
and support its grant programs. 
COPS publications and products 
offer insights and experiences 
from others in the field 
addressing specific problems 
including: 

Law Enforcement Responds 
to Terrorism: Lessons in 
Prevention and Preparedness 

Problem-Solving Tips: A 
Guide to Reducing Crime 
and Disorder Through 
Problem-Solving 
Partnerships 

COPS Collaboration Toolkit 

Assessing Responses to 
Problems: An Introductory 
Guide to Police Problem-
Solvers 

Call Management and 
Community Policing 

Early Intervention Systems 
for Law Enforcement 
Agencies 

Community Policing in 
Action! 

COPS also sponsors training 
opportunities and conferences to 
give law enforcement 
professionals an opportunity to 
learn, network, and exchange 
ideas. COPS publications and 
training opportunities are posted 
at COPS Online at 
www.cops.usdoj.gov. 

Updated August 10, 2005 
e03042260