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City Receives Grant As Part Of 'Vets To Cops' Program

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Pittsburgh will soon have over a dozen new police officers.

The city just received a federal grant to hire 13 cops, but not everyone will be able to apply for the jobs.

Pittsburgh's police force is growing thanks to money from the Justice Department. The City was awarded a $1.4 million grant to bring 13 new officers on board.

"We're glad we were selected and we look forward to getting the officers and getting them on the street," Public Safety Director Michael Huss said.

There is one stipulation though, as all of the new hires have to be military veterans.

The money is coming from a federal program called "Vets to Cops," it's aimed at supporting men and women returning home from tours of duty.

"We generally hire a high percentage of veterans into the police force. We've found that they make very good officers because they are from a military organization that has discipline and teamwork and those types of things," Huss said.

As of today, the City has 862 officers so finding applicants shouldn't be a problem.

"We have a civil service list that we hire from, the veterans preference is part of that list, so we will know which ones are veterans when we go to hire," Huss said.

It won't be long before the additional officers are on the streets, the director hopes to have the 13 new hires in place to begin training with other recruits in August.

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