After almost two months of waiting, hoping and lobbying the federal government, the Clearfield Police Department has finally secured a $75,000 grant through the COPS FAST program.

Clearfield Police Chief Morton Sparks was shocked in February when the list for the COPS grants was released and the city was not on the list. It was the only Davis County city not on the list - even though it had made application before the Dec. 31 deadline.The COPS FAST office in Washington, D.C., somehow never received the application from Clearfield. Sparks was concerned and tried to rectify the situation.

In March, Joseph Grann, the head of the COPS FAST program, was in Salt Lake City, and Sparks made sure he met with Grann and explained Clearfield's plight.

"He personally got involved," Sparks said, explaining that's really when Clearfield got back in the process. "I feel good now," he said.

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The $75,000 grant will be matched with $25,000 in Clearfield city funds to hire one additional police officer and pay his salary and benefits for three years.

Sparks said he's already begun the hiring process and should have a new officer hired sometime in July.

"It'll help us out a great deal to have a new officer," Sparks said, explaining that gives Clearfield 24 total officers - not as many as he'd like but at least consistent with the per-capita number of officers in other cities in the area.

After the three years of funding are up, Clearfield city would take over the entire financial support for the new officer.

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