LANSING, MI -- On Oct 17th, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced that $30 million in grant scholarships are now available to help local law enforcement agencies hire more police officers by providing funding to help cover basic law enforcement training academy costs and recruit salaries for individuals employed by a law enforcement agency and enrolled in an academy session.  
 
"As a former prosecutor, public safety is a top priority, and I will work with anyone to ensure state and local law enforcement agencies have the resources, personnel, and training they need to keep our communities safe,” said Governor Whitmer. “After listening to law enforcement across the state, we are delivering $30 million in funding to help them hire additional officers. This funding is a critical component of our plan to boost investment in public safety across the state. Every Michigander deserves to feel safe while going to the grocery store, dropping their kids off to school, or taking a walk around the block.” 
 
The Public Safety Academy Assistance Program is a grant scholarship established to help address the critical need for additional police officers by reducing or eliminating the cost associated with basic police training for hiring agencies. Under this program, law enforcement agencies are eligible for up to $4,000 per recruit for salaries and benefits, and up to $20,000 for academy tuition and other training costs that are traditionally paid for by the employing agency. Applications are now open for agencies who intend to enroll recruits in an academy session beginning on or after January 1, 2023. 
 
Funding for the Public Safety Academy Assistance Program comes from the FY 2023 bipartisan budget Governor Whitmer signed in July that includes several investments to improve relationships between communities and law enforcement and graduates more state troopers to protect families and communities.  
 
“This grant program will help local law enforcement agencies screen, hire and enroll individuals to a basic law enforcement training academy increasing the number of police officers in our state,” said Timothy S. Bourgeois, Executive Director of the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES). “The availability of these scholarships may allow agencies to recruit and hire police officers who may otherwise not have had the means to pay to attend a law enforcement academy.” 
 
Program highlights include: 
$30 million in total program funding. 
Agencies may receive up to 25 scholarships over the course of the program. 
The grant program will last until September 30, 2026, or until the appropriated funds are expended. 
The grant does not apply to recruits who are not already hired by an agency prior to academy enrollment. 
 
Additional program details and application can be found on the MCOLES website.  
 
Governor Whitmer’s Public Safety Investments  
As a former prosecutor, public safety is a core issue for Governor Whitmer. She has worked closely with local leaders, law enforcement officers, and community organizations to ensure people feel safe in their neighborhoods. Since taking office, she has signed four balanced, bipartisan budgets, each making record investments to help communities fund local law enforcement departments and hire more first responders. This year’s budget... 
  
Invested $155 million in communities to help them hire more cops, firefighters, EMTs, and first responders. This builds on the $1.4 billion they have received over the last three years. 
Secured millions in the FY 2023 budget for a range of public safety investments: 
Increasing patrols on secondary roads and in high-crime areas.  
Investing in gun violence prevention research for the first time in Michigan history.  
Offering more professional development and training for law enforcement officers. 
Establishing units to tackle retail crime, cybercrime, and unemployment fraud.  
Training and recruiting more Michigan State Police troopers. 
Funding new scholarship and training grants for EMTs. 
Expanding the Detroit Police Athletic League (PAL) program to connect law enforcement to the communities they serve. 
Bolstering the jail diversion fund which ensures individuals with mental illness receive appropriate treatment services. 
Invested millions to train and hire hundreds of state police officers and troopers, fund a new trooper recruit school, make 911 upgrades, and fund mental health services for first responders. 
  
Governor Whitmer’s Criminal Justice Investments  
Governor Whitmer has also worked across the aisle to enact historic criminal justice reform. She signed bipartisan "Clean Slate" legislation to help hundreds of thousands of Michiganders emerge from the criminal justice system with enhanced opportunities for jobs and housing, empowering them to pursue their full potential. She also launched task forces to address pretrial incarceration and juvenile justice and pursued reforms to improve relationships between law enforcement and the people they serve.??  
  
This summer, Governor Whitmer signed her fourth balanced, bipartisan budget that included funding for Jobs Court, a program that offers non-violent, low-level offenders gainful employment with local partnering small businesses.