Grand Coulee gets DOJ grant for police

A Department of Justice grant created to help small and rural law enforcement agencies combat violent crime will bring in just under $300,000 over three years for the Grand Coulee Police Department to spend on several key strategies as defined by the DOJ. 

The city council voted to accept the grant August 20, after hearing Officer Matt Gilbert’s presentation at a special meeting the week prior, in which he shared an updated proposal of what specific initiatives the $293,125 award would fund.

Gilbert had applied for the grant in 2023, and the DOJ’s Bureau of Justice Assistance selected Grand Coulee as a recipient. But its fate became uncertain when the school district declined to host an on-campus student resource officer, citing student concerns. Without matching funds or a willing partner, the Grand Coulee Council at the time decided to reject the award.

Fast forward to 2024. Grand Coulee had a new mayor, and the DOJ came back offering to waive the need for matching funds. They also gave the city additional time to turn in a revised proposal of how to spend the money with fewer strings attached.

Money from the three-year grant will focus on “training the trainers” — getting local officers certified to teach continuing training courses that are required by state law, instead of traveling to other parts of the state for training. Additionally, the department will begin tracking crime data systematically, with money to expand the part-time police records clerk position.

Community partnership initiatives are also part of the proposal. So are updated guns, tasers, and a supply of replacement cartridges for tasers. Two thirds of the budget over three years will go toward personnel expenses like salaries and benefits.

Gilbert said the last couple of years have seen an average of two GCPD officers assaulted and that last year one of those resulted in an injury. He also said they’ve seen reduced low-level assaults in the community, but increased felony-level assaults.

The grant requires recipients to prioritize concepts such as community collaboration, victim-centered approaches, evidence-based strategies, and a commitment to tracking data in order to measure outcomes.