UHRICHSVILLE (Tusco TV) - Council members are giving the police chief permission to go after a grant that would pay 75 percent of the wages and benefits for a 10th full-time officer.

Chief Vince Beal says he’s been authorized to apply for the three-year COPS grant through the U.S. Department of Justice. He says a new hire would free up one of their current officers to handle criminal investigations. 

"We have a lot of crime. We’re dealing with a lot of calls. Our officers don’t have time to dedicate to followup investigations that they need to dedicate, and I believe this would be a better service to the city, solve more of the crimes that we’re dealing with," he says.

Finance Committee Chairman Bill Grandison says if the application is approved, the city’s 25 percent wage and benefit share would amount to around $17,000 annually. He says they would like to keep the officer around after the grant runs depending on the city’s financial situation. 

"This was a good way for us to go. It enabled us to get an officer and we’ll have one for three years. Hopefully, things change because they do want you to make every attempt to keep the officer on hand, and we would also like to do that. That would be our ultimate goal. Unfortunately, we don’t know what three years is gonna bring us," he says. 

Beal says it’s a competitive grant so there’s no guarantee they’ll get it. 

TUSCO TV