MARTINSBURG — A grant accepted by Berkeley County will allow for the hiring of four new deputies with the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Department.

At the Berkeley County Council meeting on Thursday, Grants Administrator Tracey Guilliams, along with County Administrator Alan Davis, explained the COPS grant.

“We are accepting the COPS grant with the understanding that at the end of the three-year grant period, the deputies will be absorbed into the system,” Davis said.

In a press release, it was stated that United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II announced that in the Northern District of West Virginia, the Berkeley County Council was awarded $500,000.

“This funding will allow Berkeley County to hire more deputies to continue its great work. Our law enforcement partners are vital in maintaining safety in our communities and deserve our support,” Ihlenfeld said in the release.

Additionally in the release, it stated that since its creation in 1994, COPS has invested more than $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local and tribal law-enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of more than 135,000 officers.

The COPS Office is the federal component of the Department of Justice responsible for advancing community policing nationwide.

U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., sent out a press release announcing the funding in three counties — Berkeley, Fayette and Wood — a total of $750,000 from the DOJ’s COPS hiring program. This funding will be used to hire full-time law-enforcement officers in the three counties.

“West Virginia’s law enforcement officers work tirelessly to ensure our communities are safe, which is why it’s so critical that we provide the resources they need to do their jobs effectively and efficiently,” Capito said. “This funding will deliver the support needed to reduce crime in our state and advance public safety by bringing on additional full-time law enforcement professionals. West Virginians deserve peace of mind and trust in the safety of their communities, and this funding will help do just this.”

Manchin agreed and said that West Virginia law-enforcement officers go above and beyond the call of duty to protect their fellow West Virginians.

“We must ensure communities have enough law-enforcement officials so they aren’t stretched thin while keeping our communities safe,” Manchin said.

According to Berkeley County Council President Doug Copenhaver and Davis, the grant is for new budgeted positions for all intent and purposes, and over a three-year period, it will cost the county $276,136 at current compensation.

A motion was made and approved to accept the grant and its contingencies.