Media contact(s):
Tyler Sinclair: (216) 263-4545; tsinclair01@cuyahogacounty.us

Nearly $2 million in awards will also be used for purchasing new technology and expanding resources

CUYAHOGA COUNTY, OH - The Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department (CCSD) announced that it recently secured three grants, totaling almost $2 million, from the State of Ohio.

“These grant funds will enable us to recruit new employees and to retain our current ones as well,” said Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish. “The Sheriff and his team have worked hard to secure these grants, which will help us accomplish both of these goals.”

The Sheriff’s Department received a grant of over $190,000, funded through the State’s First Responder Recruitment, Retention, and Resilience Program, that will help support the recently established Support, Trust, Assurance and Resiliency (STAR) Team – an in-house peer support and wellness team comprised of other deputies in the department. The STAR team will be trained to identify stressors, develop pre-crisis prevention skills, and learn key intervention strategies. The team will provide a variety of services to deputies that includes individual counseling, group resiliency sessions, and referrals to local resources. They will also assist in new-hire and in-service training to help fellow deputies develop coping and stress management skills. Certain support and outreach services will be made available to deputies’ families as well. The STAR team will meet at least monthly to review the program’s development and continually look for ways to expand the program offerings and resources.

“These funds will be instrumental in helping our new wellness program focused on improving mental and emotional health for our deputies,” said Cuyahoga County Interim Sheriff Steven Hammett. “It is our goal, by investing in mental health services, to boost officers’ overall wellness which correlates with higher job performance, increases retention, and leads to more positive community interactions.”

This latest grant brings the total to nearly $2 million in recent state awards for CCSD. Two weeks ago they received over $1.5 million, through the Ohio Violent Crime Reduction Grant Program, to be used towards targeted recruitment strategies, retention efforts, and training current personnel. The department received $163,000 in April, through that same State program, to purchase new technology and expand resources to hot spot areas to combat rising levels of violent crime.

More information on open positions with the Sheriff’s Department can be found on their webpage. A list of all available job opportunities can be found on the Human Resources page on the Cuyahoga County website.