29 officers set to rejoin TPD

TOLEDO, Ohio - It now looks like some laid off Toledo police officers will be called back. That was put into motion Tuesday night after the city council accepted some new grant money.

Toledo Police Patrolman's Association President Dan Wagner learned of the two grants June 3.

The officers are intended for school patrols in Washington Local and Toledo Public Schools, but for now they'll be working the streets. The city is getting some flexibility from one of the groups giving the city this money. Money, at one point, the city didn't even consider applying for.

In an unanimous vote, money from Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray was accepted Tuesday. That grant is worth roughly $292,000. The city was also awarded  $401,000 in a Justice Assistance Grant. That money is expected to be formally accpeted in two weeks. Couple that with the $198,000 the school districts kick in for officers, the city has roughly $891,000 to spend.

That $292,000 is a drug use prevention special grant and it was something the police department didn't even apply for at first.

"Because of the nature of the grant, it was one we didn't consider and then it was brought to our attention that this money could be used for the restoration of the school resource program," said Toledo Police Chief Mike Navarre.

A total of 29 will be recalled by July 1, which includes those 14 school resource officers. Those officers will work the streets until school starts, with the hopes of replacing them when the city hears about a federal COPS Hiring Recovery Program grant in August.

"The attorney general has been very flexible with the expenditure of the money. He's going to allow us to use all that money in 2009, even though the money is intended for the whole school year," said Chief Navarre.

There was some worry that that money would be held until the police union and the city reach a contract deal. But that doesn't appear to be the case. FOX Toledo was also told that the city and union met with the neutral third party for the final time on Tuesday.

A decision is expected from that fact finder in mid August.

FOX Toledo has also learned on June 1 six detectives were brought back into the investigative bureau. The officers were reassigned to street patrol May 1 during the reorganization of the department following the mass lay off.

Since the Finkbeiner administration didn't slash as many officers as originally expected, the department was able to rearrange schedules to bulk up the detective bureau.

(FOX Toledo's Michelle Zepeda contributed to this report)