PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Kate Reilly, Special Assistant to the Mayor

978-620-3013/ kreilly@cityoflawrence.com
Lawrence Gets $1M for Police Hires
Grant means 7 new officers on the street
February 8, 2016, Lawrence, MA- Mayor Daniel Rivera, with Senator Barbara LItalien, Representative
Frank Moran, Representative Marcos Devers and Representative Diana DiZoglio announce today a
Massachusetts Municipal Public Safety Staffing Grant awarded to Lawrence in the amount of $1,005,037.67.
Mayor Rivera and Chief Fitzpatrick plan to use this money to hire seven new patrol officers. This grant is a
major win for Lawrence, said Mayor Daniel Rivera. With the 19% drop in violent crime and 22% drop in
residential burglary, more cops have made Lawrence safer. This grant allows us to put more cops on the streets
to continue the progress we have seen.
The state funding can be used to restore, retain or hire police and fire personnel or for overtime if needed to
provide adequate shift coverage to maintain appropriate staffing levels. All told, a combined $4 million in
public safety staffing grants have been awarded to 10 police departments and 5 fire departments in 10
Massachusetts cities. This public safety staffing grant is great news for the city and its police department and
will have a direct impact on fighting crime and keeping people in Lawrence safe, Sen. Barbara LItalien said.
Its worth noting that Lawrences $1 million award is the largest of 15 public safety staffing grants announced
by the Baker-Polito Administration. That speaks to the excellent grant proposal put together by Police Chief
Fitzpatrick and his team and the active participation of the citys State House delegation along with Mayor
Rivera in supporting the grant and working to make Lawrence better and safer.
"With all the development going on in our city, it is vital that our public safety efforts be proactive and
preventative. This grant will ensure that staffing, directed patrols and community policing strategies meets the
needs of our community and that we can continue to meet the standards we have set for ourselves, said
Representative Frank Moran.
I am pleased to support, advocate and join my colleagues and partners at the state government to appropriate
the funds on behalf addressing the community gang violence problem. It is important to support a grant that
will increase safety within our streets for our communities, said Representative Marcos Devers.
"I stand with my colleagues in the Lawrence legislative delegation in celebrating the awarding of this
important municipal staffing grant to the City of Lawrence. These funds will greatly help the Lawrence Police
Department in its efforts to hire new officers and continue to promote public safety in our communities, said
Representative Diana DiZoglio.
These new hires that we will have as a result of the Public Safety Staffing grant are improving morale
throughout our department, said Police Chief James Fitzpatrick. Our officers work hard to keep Lawrence
safe, and having new blood on the department gives them an extra incentive and job satisfaction that in
previous years, has been staggering.
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