ANNAPOLIS — Somerset County is due $362,541 in additional State Aid for Police Protection (SAPP) through Gov. Larry Hogan’s “Re-Fund The Police Initiative.”

In all $122.5 million was granted statewide to help cover officer salaries and wages, equipment, technology upgrades, investigative tools, operating expenses, vehicle operation and maintenance costs, and other supplies and materials.

Funds are being distributed based on a formula derived through jurisdictional population, the number of police officers in an agency, and the total jurisdictional taxable income. Legislation passed during the 2022 legislative session required use of Uniform Crime Report violent crime statistics to distribute increased funding for FY23.

Gov. Hogan said this record 60% increase in funding “will help police officers and the communities they serve in every jurisdiction in Maryland.”

Through the Re-Fund The Police Initiative, Gov. Hogan has provided $137 million to significantly increase SAPP awards over the next three years. “We will continue to do everything in our power to support law enforcement and to provide our men and women in uniform with the tools they need to keep Marylanders safe,” he said.