City awarded grant for new police officers

The Manassas Police Department stands to gain four new officers under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

According to a White House press release from the Office of the Vice President, the department could receive $766,912 to pay the officers’ salaries and benefits for three years if the city agrees to keep the officers on for a fourth year.

Police Chief John J. Skinner applied for the grant in April with the approval of the city council.

“The city manager informed the city council when I applied for this grant and we made it clear that there was a commitment to retain the officers beyond the first three years of the grant,” Skinner said.

Skinner will soon ask the city council for permission to accept the grant. Manassas Mayor Harry J. “Hal” Parrish said accepting federal money requires careful thinking.

“Anytime you receive grant funding and there’s strings attached, you obviously have to discuss and consider the strings,” Parrish said.

While it’s always good to get more police officers, Parrish said the council, along with the personal committee, will have to examine all of the implications and be “mindful” of accepting the grant.

“What the council will want to do ... is to take a look at what the strings are, the implications of those strings and what it mean in terms of the tax dollars that would ultimately come from the citizens,” the mayor said.

Skinner applied for the grant to fill the positions after budget cuts last November eliminated them.

“We were applying with hopes of at least receiving a partial award,” Skinner said.  “We thought if we applied for all four we would receive half of that. To receive all four is certainly a great opportunity.”

Skinner said that four officers is not a large addition to a department with roughly 100 officers, but it would still be good to get the new front-line workers.

“Four is not a huge number, but it’s a very significant number to us. Any loss of patrol officer positions is very significant,” Skinner said.

The Manassas Police Department is among eight departments in Virginia to receive grants totaling $5.1 million.

Manassas Bureau Chief Keith Walker can be reached at 703-369-6751.