The Investing in Community Safety Act of 2023 amends federal law to allow police departments to use federal COPS grants, which provide funding for law enforcement hiring and operations, to pay for recruitment and retention efforts. The bill specifically authorizes the use of these grant funds for recruiting activities, including travel expenses, marketing costs, retention bonuses, and community outreach events aimed at attracting new officers. Police departments that have struggled with high violent crime rates or persistent difficulty filling officer positions would be eligible to receive these recruitment-focused grants. This change is intended to help communities address police staffing shortages by allowing federal dollars to support the full recruitment pipeline rather than just actual hiring. The bill does not specify new funding amounts or timelines but modifies existing authorities under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968.
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