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

Image of United States Department of Justice seal
Community Oriented Policing Services logo
www.cops.usdoj.gov 

Fact Sheet 

COPS Tribal Resources 

“WE WILL MODERNIZE OUR
COMPUTER SYSTEMS AND BUY
EQUIPMENT FOR VEHICLES, ADD TWO
OFFICERS AND PROVIDE MORE
TRAINING. FOR A SMALL
DEPARTMENT THESE GRANTS ARE 
ESSENTIAL.” 

POLICE CHIEF RICK NORRIS
WASHOE TRIBE (NV)


Background 

The Office of Community Oriented Policing 
Services (COPS) created a series of programs
to meet the needs of law enforcement in
Native American communities. These
programs include the Tribal Resources Grant
Program (TRGP), Tribal Hiring Renewal
Grant Program (THRGP), Tribal Mental
Health and Community Safety Initiative
(TMHCSI), and the Tribal Court Pilot
Program (TCPP).COPS Native American 
programs address quality-of-life issues as well
as a comprehensive list of law enforcement
expenses, including hiring and training new
community policing officers, training existing
forces, and purchasing new equipment,  
technology, vehicles, and more. COPS has
awarded more than $258 million since 1995
to help Native American communities, many 
of which have limited resources and suffer
from high rates of crime and violence, hire
more than 1,800 new community policing
officers. In FY05, COPS awarded over $18
million through TRGP to bolster community
policing and homeland security within Native
American communities.


Tribal Resources Grant Program 
Funding Provisions

COPS considers grant requests that reflect the 
most serious law enforcement needs of an 
agency that are not funded with state, local, or 
Bureau of Indian Affairs funds and are linked 
to the implementation or enhancement of 
community policing. Funding provisions have 
included three years of entry-level salary and  
benefits for newly hired, additional law 
enforcement officers, law enforcement 
training, basic standard issue equipment,
uniforms, technology, and police vehicles. 
Training includes basic and specialized police 
training at a Regional Community Policing
Institute, a state academy, or the Indian Police
Academy in Artesia, New Mexico, as well as 
grants management and computer training. 

Departments were also encouraged to request 
funding for law enforcement equipment and  
technology, such as police vehicles, computer 
hardware and software, mobile data terminals,
and dispatch and communication systems.
Tribes were encouraged to request equipment 
that would increase their ability to collect 
crime data. 


TRGP covers a maximum federal share of 75 
percent of total project costs, including basic 
law enforcement training and equipment, 
vehicles, and technology. The program 
includes a local cash match requirement of 25 
percent of total project costs. Waivers of the 
local match requirement may be granted only 
on the basis of documented severe fiscal 
hardship. Waiver requests must be made at the 
time of application. 

Initiative to Improve Law Enforcement 
in Tribal Communities 

TRGP is part of a larger federal initiative. For 
the last seven years, the Departments of 
Interior and Justice have worked together to 
improve law enforcement in tribal 
communities. In FY 2005, funds were 
appropriated to several Department of Justice 
(DOJ) agencies for this initiative, including 
the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the 
Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), the Office 
of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency 
Prevention (OJJDP) and the COPS Office. 
COPS coordinates with these agencies as well 
as with the Office of Law Enforcement 
Services of the Bureau of Indian Affairs 
(BIA) to ensure that limited resources are not 
spent on duplicative efforts. 

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: 

 
Creative Partnerships: 
Supporting Youth, Building 
Communities 


Law Enforcement Technology 
Guide: How to plan, purchase 
and manage technology 
(successfully!) 

 
Bringing Victims into 
Community Policing 


Promising Strategies from the 
Field: Spotlight on Sheriffs 

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

Requirements 

Federal regulations require that financial 
assistance provided by the federal government 
be monitored to ensure that funds are used 
properly. In addition to the retention 
requirement that applies to all COPS hiring 
programs, supplanting is prohibited under this 
program. Any use of TRGP funds is required 
to be in addition to, and not in lieu of, 
previous funding commitments for law 
enforcement staffing, training, and/or 
equipment. 

Contact COPS 

For more information on TRGP please 
contact the COPS Office Response Center 
at 800.421.6770, or visit COPS Online at 
www.cops.usdoj.gov. 

Updated August 23, 2005 
e09052501