PORT ANGELES — The Police Department has received a three-year $550,278 grant to fill two vacant police officer positions.

The grant was awarded Wednesday as part of the federal Justice Department’s Community Oriented Policing Services, or COPS, program.

The department is just coming off a previous three-year grant and needed this to keep the department fully staffed, said Brian Smith, assistant police chief.

The salary and benefits of the two positions are paid in full by the grant over three years, according to Police Chief Terry Gallagher.

The department will be required to retain the two grant-funded officers for a minimum 12 months beyond the 36-month federal funding period.

Gallagher said he was very pleased to receive the 2011 grant during a time of “exceptional fiscal chall­enges.”

PAPD’s ability to maintain “a full-service policing model” has been challenged this past year because of staffing shortages caused by the retirement of Officer Duane Benedict and the Air National Guard deployment of Officer Justin LeRoux, Gallagher said.

An additional officer has been on medical leave, and the department’s newest officer, Matt Wolff, will not complete training until the spring.

The department expects to have 22.5 officers assigned to the patrol division in 2012

Additional programs

Two additional uniformed officers are assigned to the Downtown Resource Officer and School Resource Officer programs.

Four officers are assigned to the Detective Division and one to the Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Team.

Of 2,712 applications, only 238 cities received COPS grants.

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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.