ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Larry Hogan onWednesday awarded a record $122.5 million in funding under the State Aid for Police Protection (SAPP) program. As a key plank of the governor’s Re-Fund The Police Initiative, the funding provides police officers with expanded resources to support operational costs and to help keep communities safe.

“Prioritized by our budget, this record 60% increase in funding will help police officers and the communities they serve in every jurisdiction in Maryland,” said Governor Hogan. “We will continue to do everything in our power to support law enforcement and to provide our men and women in uniform with the tools they need to keep Marylanders safe.”

SAPP funding is used for a wide range of resources, including officer salaries and wages, officer equipment, technology upgrades, investigative tools, operating expenses, contractual services, vehicle operation and maintenance costs, and other supplies and materials. Funds will be distributed based on a formula derived through jurisdictional population, the number of police officers in an agency, and the total jurisdictional taxable income. Legislation passed during the 2022 legislative session required use of Uniform Crime Report violent crime statistics to distribute increased funding for FY23.

“With all of our law enforcement programs, it’s very clear: when police officers have the funding they need to fight crime, they get the job done,” said Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention, Youth, and Victim Services Kunle Adeyemo. “We will continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with police and work together to build a safer, healthier, and more prosperous Maryland.”

Through the Re-Fund The Police Initiative, Governor Hogan has provided $137 million to significantly increase SAPP awards over the next three years.