Governor Jon S. Corzine was thrilled to learn this week that 18 New Jersey towns will be receiving American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding totaling approximately $26.8 million to hire a total of 123 police officers through the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program.

"In New Jersey, just as in Washington, we remain hard at work building a bridge to our economic recovery. We have set priorities that include maintaining a safe and healthy living environment for our citizens," Governor Corzine said, appearing with Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.

"Through the COPS funding, towns and cities throughout New Jersey and throughout America will now have the resources to keep their police departments better staffed, better equipped, and better prepared for any challenge that might come their way," the Governor said.

COPS was created under the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act. COPS has spent $12.4 billion to help law enforcement agencies advance the practice of community policing since the law took effect in 1995. This has enabled more than 13,000 state, local, and tribal agencies throughout the United States to hire more than 117,000 police officers and deputies.

"These funds will put more officers on the street in Trenton, Irvington, Paterson, Elizabeth, East Orange, Union and other municipalities across New Jersey," said Attorney General Anne Milgram. "Under Governor Corzine's Safe Streets and Neighborhoods Plan, we have worked with local police to achieve unprecedented results in reducing the drug dealing and gang violence plaguing our communities. These additional officers will bolster those efforts."

From January 2006 through the end of last year, homicides in New Jersey have dropped 12 percent. Violent crime overall is down 7.4 percent.

Click here to view photos from the event.