A federal grant to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department will result in the hiring of two new school resource officers in the county.

The Sheriff’s Department will receive $221,456 through the U.S. Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. The grant was announced by U.S. Atty. for Kansas Eric Melgren.

It was not clear Friday in which Franklin County schools the officers would be placed.

The presence of the officers is expected to deter crime and violence, and provide an immediate response to problems that arise in schools. They also may participate in substance-abuse instruction, driver education, classroom instruction and extracurricular activities.

About $20.7 million in grants will finance the hiring of 194 officers nationally.