COLUMBUS, Ohio -- City officials reinstated 27 police recruits Wednesday who were previously laid off as the result of ongoing budget cuts.
After a meeting with the recruits, Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman made the announcement, citing President Barack Obama's stimulus package as the only reason the recruits will hit the streets, NBC 4's Lauren Diedrich reported.
The 27-member recruit class was initially laid off on Jan. 27. They were scheduled to graduate the same week.
The U.S. Department of Justice is giving the city of Columbus $1.25 million to fund salaries for the police recruits.
The money will last through the year, but Coleman said the city faces much larger issues if more revenue doesn't come into the city.
The Columbus Fraternal Order of Police President Jim Gilbert was in Washington this week, where he and other FOP presidents met with congressional leaders to push for public safety funds from the stimulus bill.
The FOP released the following statement Wednesday "The Fraternal Order of Police is thrilled to learn of the reinstatement of the 27 recruits to the Columbus Police Academy. We appreciate the recognition by President Obama and his administration of the priority these recruits (soon to be police officers) have to the Division of Police and the safety of our community.
"The Fraternal Order of Police looks forward to their service to the citizens and welcomes them to our ranks, serving and protecting our fine city."
The police recruit president said they received the phone call last night to arrive at the academy Wednesday morning, but that they weren't told until 11 a.m. that they would continue the recruitment process.
"They called us last night, told us to report to training here today, but they didn't tell us why," said recruit William Scott.
Scott soon found out he and his classmates would become police officers.
"This is where I want to work -- in Columbus. It's a great department, great people, great community," Scott said.
The mayor's office is faced with making $13 million in cuts before passing a balanced budget, and city officials said they expected to save $1.2 million with the recruiting cuts.
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