Changes at Trump’s Justice Department could shift which local police agencies get federal grants

The Justice Department is shaking up the priorities for a popular grant program that provides millions of dollars in aid to budget-strapped local police departments across America, according to public documents reviewed by CBS News.

In a fact sheet for the Community Policing Development microgrant program, the Trump administration eliminated language that encouraged police agencies to seek federal money for initiatives to help “underserved populations,” build trust in police, boost diversity in police departments and support community violence intervention.

Instead, the administration lists “immigration and border security,” “violent crime prevention” and “uplifting the image of the law enforcement profession” as programs that are priorities for the highly sought-after grants, which are administered by the Justice Department’s Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) division.

The instructions to local police departments for funding in 2025 mark a noticeable shift from the guidance issued by the Justice Department during the Biden administration a year earlier. 

The 2024 guidance prioritized efforts at “building trust and legitimacy with the community” and “community violence intervention” initiatives, which include efforts to combat racism, trauma, poverty and other triggers to violence.

The Trump administration has shifted the grant instructions for 2025 to invite police to make a compelling argument that the money will help stiffen border security, reduce violent crime, improve police departments’ public image, support “opioids and drug market interruption” and other priorities.  

Both the 2024 and 2025 instructions have an “Open Topic Area” for grant applications that don’t fit into any of the listed categories.

The change of language raises the prospect of a dramatic shift in which police agencies are granted money and what programs are approved for federal help.

The Justice Department’s COPS community policing development grants program has awarded more than $67 million to dozens of police agencies since 2023, including for some cities as large as New York, Boston and Los Angeles, and those as small as Bluefield, W.Va., and Bellevue, Neb., according to a review by CBS News.

The shift could imperil money from some projects that have been highly touted in small and large U.S. cities.

“These are some significant changes,” said Chiraag Baines, a former Justice Department attorney and Biden administration aide. “There’s a broader impact to this than just grant money. It’s a statement about priorities and it could encourage police to give less priority to certain programs and initiatives if they think the Administration is going to be hostile to them.”

Baines said the newly-listed priorities for projects combatting violent crime and opioid abuse are important. But he added the new language encouraging police to apply for money for projects that “uplift the image of law enforcement” is a change “that really confuses the issue. Police should be working to build trust and cooperation.”

Communities have proudly announced their grant awards for “community violence interventions” during the Biden administration.

Cleveland Heights, Ohio, touted a program that got a 2023 grant as a successful initiative to reach at-risk youths. The city’s announcement of the grant said the $175,000 award would be used for “foot patrols in violence-impacted areas and forming a new outreach and mentorship program for Cleveland Heights.”

St. Petersburg, Fla., police are among the dozens of departments and cities to receive grants for initiatives to build “trust and legitimacy with the community” since 2021, including an approximately $174,000 grant in 2022. 

The agency told CBS News it used the grant to “support 20 non-profit youth sports leagues.” The police department also “collaborated with the Tampa Bay Rays Baseball team to offer softball programs for at-risk girls, increasing access and participation.”

St. Petersburg won another $175,000 COPS grant, for police to help “underserved populations” in 2023. The department told CBS News it used the money for “arts and educational mentorship” for youth.

The changes mark a paradigm shift, and have inflamed criticism from congressional Democrats. Rep. Glenn Ivey, a Democrat who was once a state prosecutor in Maryland, told CBS News, “It is really a marked change in priorities from the last administration. Local communities count on these funds to augment their community policing efforts. Safer communities start with trust and security not fear and distrust. COPS grants should build up the relationship between law enforcement and the communities they serve, not tear them apart.”

A former Justice Department official who served in prior administrations told CBS News the shifting of grant criteria is common when the department changes leadership. But the official said the shift away from community violence intervention programs is a “recipe for depriving law enforcement of the leads and witnesses that can solve cases and prevent crime. Community police cuts crime because people trust the police enough to work with them.”

Justice Department officials declined to answer specific questions about the changes in grant application language.

A spokeswoman told CBS News in a written statement, “Under the direction of Attorney General Bondi, the COPS office is committed to highlighting the important work that our law enforcement partners do and to supporting law enforcement through hiring and grant assistance.” 

A review of prior COPS grants announcements shows a shift of language after then-President Joe Biden took office. The language in the 2022 COPS hiring grant fact sheet for police departments eliminated references from the first Trump administration that specified money was available for initiatives that focused on homeland security and school-based policing, and added language prioritizing “diversity training” projects.

Even in a distinctively polarized political climate, federal COPS grants remain overwhelmingly popular and highly pursued by local police agencies. Grant awards are regularly touted by members of congress from both parties and publicly announced by local officials as victories for the community.

A bipartisan group of federal legislators has introduced a bill to beef up funding for overall COPS grants. Rep. Pat Ryan, a New York Democrat whose district includes smaller communities in the Hudson Valley, co-sponsored the bill and said, “Far too often, small and midsized police departments like ours lack the resources they need.”

Rep. Zach Nunn, an Iowa Republican who co-sponsored the measure, wrote, “Every Iowa town deserves strong public safety, regardless of size or geography, and I’m proud to help lead this bipartisan effort to boost hiring and resources for law enforcement in our small and rural communities.” Nunn’s announcement said the proposal would “reauthorize the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program with double the amount of federal funding.”

A spokeswoman for the Alexandria, Va., police department, which received a $175,000 grant last year to help serve “underserved populations,” told CBS News, “The Department of Justice COPS Office plays a vital role in supporting law enforcement agencies across the country. Their funding and technical assistance have been instrumental in helping departments build long-standing relationships between police and the communities they serve.”

Some city officials and police departments declined to comment on their federal COPS grant awards, including Dearborn, Mich., which received an $88,816 grant for “building trust” in police in 2023.