COPS grant allows Cleveland to recall 25 more laid-off police officers

CLEVELAND - The city of Cleveland will hold a swearing-in ceremony next week for 25 laid-off police officers who are returning to duty.

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson made the announcement Friday and will administer the oath at 8 a.m. Monday at Cleveland police headquarters.

Jackson said the officers are able to return because of a $5,867,275 grant awarded to the city by the Department of Justice’s Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program.

The officers were some of the 123 laid off earlier this year to help close a gap in the city’s budget after a cut in state funding. Forty of those were graduating police academy cadets.

Since then, Cleveland recalled 25 officers in late September using a $5.8 million grant from the same program, as well as 17 at another time and five more in October. This brings the total returned to the force to 72 -- or 59 percent of those laid off.