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Office of Community Oriented Policing Services 
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Homeland Security Overtime Program
Fact Sheet

“THE MORE TIME AMERICAN 
LAW ENFORCEMENT 
PROFESSIONALS CAN SPEND IN 
THE COMMUNITIES THEY SERVE, 
THE SAFER THOSE COMMUNITIES
WILL BE. MAINTAINING SAFETY 
FROM THE INCREASING THREAT 
OF TERRORISM REQUIRES 
EXPANDING LAW ENFORCEMENT
PRESENCE." 

CARL R. PEED 
COPS DIRECTOR

COPS developed the Homeland Security 
Overtime Program (HSOP) to increase the 
amount of overtime funding available to 
support community policing and homeland 
security efforts. As state, local, and tribal 
law enforcement embrace the challenges 
of securing our homeland, this is now 
more important than ever. HSOP supported 
programs that increased community safety
and security and reduced public fear. HSOP 
grants supplemented the selected agencies’
state- or locally-funded officer overtime 
budgets, increasing the amount of funding
available for these critical functions. 


Securing our Homeland 

HSOP offered state, local, and tribal law 
enforcement agencies the opportunity to 
supplement their officer overtime budgets  
for a period of one year. HSOP grants could 
be used to pay officer overtime during 
homeland security training sessions and 
other law enforcement activities designed 
to help prevent acts of terrorism and 
other violent or drug-related crimes. Law 
enforcement agencies that had temporarily 
lost sworn officers to military reserve 
duty and wished to deploy other officers 
on an overtime basis to help address these 
temporary vacancies were also encouraged 
to apply under this program. HSOP 
funds supported the overtime efforts of 
nonsupervisory, sworn personnel such 
as intelligence officers, crime analysts, 
undercover officers, and others working on 
homeland security or terrorism task forces. 

Funding Provisions 

The National Strategy for Homeland 
Security, the Administration’s road map for 
securing the homeland, highlights the key 
role that state, local, and tribal governments 
play in responding to a terrorist attack. 
In addition, terrorism preparedness and 
prevention have become key responsibilities 
for state, local, and tribal units. While 
all established policing agencies were 
eligible to apply for this program, priority 
consideration was given to applications that 
demonstrated the use of community policing 
strategies to prepare for or respond to acts of 
terrorism through officer overtime. 

Law enforcement agencies could apply for 
funding amounts based on the size of the 
population they served or the size of their 
budgeted sworn strength at the time of 
application, according to the table below. 

Agencies serving populations: 
OR Budgeted sworn force: 
Could apply for a federal share of up to: 

less than 24,999 1-49 $25,000 
from 25,000 to 49,999 50-99 $50,000 
from 50,000 to 99,999 100-199 $100,000 
from 100,000 to 249,999 200-499 $250,000 
from 250,000 to 499,999 500-999 $500,000 
from 500,000 to 999,999 1,000-1,999 $1,000,000 
more than 1,000,000 above 2,000 $3,000,000 


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: 

. 
COPS Innovations: 
Local Law Enforcement 
Responds to Terrorism: 
Lessons in Prevention and 
Preparedness 

. 
COPS Curriculum & Video: 
Effective Management of 
Police Overtime 

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. 

Federal funds could be requested for up to 
75 percent of the total requested additional 
overtime costs, with a minimum 25 percent 
local cash match. The match must have 
been a cash match, made from local, state, 
or other non-COPS funds and could not be 
paid through reallocating funds otherwise 
budgeted for specific law enforcement 
purposes. Overtime grants were awarded for 
a one year period. 

Waivers of the local match were not 
available for grants awarded under HSOP. 

HSOP grants could not be used to reimburse 
agencies for past overtime expenditures. 
These funds could be used only for 
nonsupervisory, sworn personnel and could 
not be applied toward civilian or reserve 
officer costs. HSOP funds were used to 
support officer overtime at the same pay 
scale that the agency would normally have 
used for locally funded overtime. 

Agencies could not rely on the availability 
of HSOP grant funding to reduce the 
amount of state or local funds budgeted for 
officer overtime in their current or future 
budget cycles. 

Funding in Fiscal Year 2003 

In Fiscal Year 2003, the COPS Office 
awarded approximately $60 million through 
HSOP to 294 agencies in all 50 states and 
the District of Columbia. 

Contact COPS 

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

Updated September 13, 2006 
e09061312