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WASHINGTON – The Angelina County Sheriff’s Department was awarded a $105,837 grant for Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), a program that allows schools to hire additional law enforcement officers, U.S. Senator John Cornyn announced Thursday. The funds are made available through the Department of Justice and encourage the use of community policing to prevent school violence."At a time when increasing our homeland security is so crucial, COPS is playing an important role in helping make our schools safe,” Cornyn said. “Through these grants, COPS has incorporated instruction for law enforcement officers on terrorism prevention, emergency response, and the critical role schools play in community preparedness and disaster response.” COPS In Schools grants provide up to $125,000 over a three year period to cover the salary and benefits of new school resource officers. COPS also provides school safety training for the officer and an administrator from the school where the officer will be assigned.