City council approves grant to rehire police officers

Beginning July 1 some of the 75 laid-off Toledo police officers will be back on the streets. Tuesday night the Toledo City Council approved a grant to rehire police officers. On May 1, Toledo Mayor Carty Finkbeiner laid off 75 police officers, citing the budget crisis. But last night Toledo City Council approved using a federal Justice Assistance Grant (JAG Grant) for $401,253 to put some of the officers back on the street.

According to council members, that money will be used to re-hire 15 of the laid off police officers. Combine that funding with the $292,000 the city got from State Attorney General Richard Cordray earlier this month. That brings the total number of officers the city will re-hire on July 1 to 29.

City leaders are lobbying for more federal money. The mayor and the president of the Toledo Police Union sent a joint letter to Vice President Joe Biden Tuesday. In the letter, the two request economic stimulus money from the cops program to rehire the remaining 46 laid-off police officers.

Council President George Sarantou says the city probably won't hear back about the stimulus grant until August.

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