LUMBERTON — The Lumberton Police Department has been given a $455,449 grant to hire four new officers.

The department is one of three North Carolina agencies to be awarded grants by the U.S. Department Of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. According to a Justice Department statement, the grants are to be used to “build trust, reduce violence and protect schools.”

LMore than $107 million in grants were awarded nationwide to about 200 law enforcement agencies, creating or maintaining 866 law enforcement positions.

“The COPS Office is pleased to assist local law enforcement agencies throughout the country in addressing their most critical public safety issues,” said Ronald L. Davis, director of the COPS Office. “These grants are not simply about putting more officers on the street, they are about expanding the capacity of law enforcement agencies to engage in community policing.”