By JIM ABRAMS The Associated Press WASHINGTON — A community policing program that President Bill Clinton created and President George W. Bush tried to curtail is making a strong comeback under the new Democratic administration. The economic stimulus package enacted in February provided $1 billion to expand the Community Oriented Policing Services grant program, known as COPS. On Wednesday, ...

Making Federal Jobs Cool Once Again By Fred Hiatt Copyright Washington Post Monday, April 27, 2009 When I ask political appointees of either party what surprises them about government service, one answer consistently comes back: the talent and dedication of the civil servants they are working with. That’s reassuring, of course, but also sad and a bit scary. Sad because their surprise refle...

By Mark Schlueb Orlando Sentinel Staff Writer April 14, 2009 Orlando is giving back $375,000 in federal grant money that would have allowed the hiring of new police officers. The reason? Because the grant would have paid only a portion of the officers’ salary and equipment costs, and the city budget is so tight there’s no money available to pick up the rest. Mayor Buddy Dyer has also n...

By Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY WASHINGTON — A federal stimulus program to fund 6,000 police positions has drawn requests for 30,000 officers from U.S. law enforcement agencies, according to Justice Department officials. By today’s application deadline, more than a third of the 18,000 police agencies in the U.S. are expected to seek government aid to avoid layoffs or hire new officers, Justice...

Certain areas of economy swelling with jobs By Dennis Cauchon, USA TODAY There is life — and work — in parts of the economy, from health care workers to hard hats. A handful of states and big industries have added jobs at a remarkably healthy rate throughout the recession, providing hope for job seekers in a tough economy, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports.  About 4.4 million peopl...