Error in application negates $875K federal grant to fund new Frederick police officers

The discovery of a clerical error that inflated the city's crime numbers on a Frederick police grant application dashed the city's hopes of receiving $875,000 in federal funds.

The grant, part of the U.S. Department of Justice's Community Oriented Policing Services hiring fund, was to be used to fund 75 percent of the salaries and benefits of seven new city police officers, according to the city's initial application. The grant was awarded in September based on the inflated numbers, but was withdrawn Jan. 16 after city staff reported the error in December, said acting chief Capt. Patrick Grossman.

Fortunately, the city was still waiting to receive the grant funds when the error was discovered, Grossman said.

“We never got to that point in the process where we even started receiving funds or anything,” Grossman said. “... Internally we were completing strategic staffing meetings on how we would use [the funds], but we never got any further than that.”

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