Federal law requires that law enforcement agencies receiving federal funding from the COPS Office undergo monitoring to ensure compliance with grant conditions, terms, and requirements including other applicable statutory regulations. The COPS Office is also interested in tracking the progress of our programs and the advancement of community policing. Both aspects of grant implementation—compliance and programmatic benefits—are part of the monitoring process coordinated by the U.S. Department of Justice. Upon accepting a COPS Office grant, each grantee agrees to respond to any requests for information.

Promoting responsibility to ensure that federal grant funds awarded to state, local, territorial and tribal entities are administered properly is critical to the success of the grant programs. The COPS Office seeks to ensure effective stewardship of federal funds by conducting strategic site visits and enhanced office–based grant reviews for at–risk grantees, and by responding to external and internal referrals for alleged noncompliance with the conditions, terms, and requirements of COPS Office grant awards.

In addition, some grantees may be selected by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Inspector General (OIG) for auditing. If a grantee is selected for an audit, the COPS Office will act as a liaison between the OIG and the grantee to help facilitate the audit process and resolve and close any audit recommendations resulting from the OIG audit.

Please take a moment and review our Grant Monitoring Standards and Guidelines for All COPS Grants and Cooperative Agreements.