Officials say that compensation could also help close equity gaps by increasing accessibility to law enforcement training.
The new “Public Safety Academy Assistance Program” has 30-million-dollars set aside to award as scholarships to local agencies.
Robert Stevenson leads the “Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police.” He says that could make a difference—since many potential officers currently have to pay their own way through academy.
“This allows us to take in—actually hire somebody before they go to the academy and it also allows the person that’s going to the academy to get paid some money while they’re there to help compensate them for their time so it’s not all out of their own pocket.”
