Haverhill and Lawrence are among 10 communities statewide receiving help paying for police officers.
Haverhill was awarded $333,792, while Lawrence received $1.2 million from the Massachusetts Municipal Public Safety Staffing Program. The program helps eligible cities maintain sufficient police and fire department staffing. Based on criteria set by the Massachusetts legislature, only 10 communities across the state are eligible for grants.
In addition, Massachusetts State Police, serving Lawrence and Lynn were granted $160,000 through the Commonwealth Project Safe Neighborhood Initiative. The program provides community-based enforcement and youth violence prevention programming.
“These investments in safety and crime prevention will have long-lasting benefits for our communities,” said Gov. Maura T. Healey. “These programs will make a real difference in creating strong relationships between residents and law enforcement and preventing crimes before they happen.”
Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll added in a statement, “By providing these funds to under resourced public safety agencies, we’re acting on our commitment to ensuring equitable access to critical services for all our community members.”
The two programs distributed $7.6 million across the state.