Press Releases
IT’S OFFICIAL - POPULAR C.O.P.S. PROGRAM IS DEAD
G.O.P. ENDS FIRST - RESPONDER HIRING PROGRAM
Washington DC - Today, the House passed a bill written by Republicans to zero out funding for the hiring portion of the Community Oriented Policing Services (C.O.P.S.) program.
“The G.O.P. has finally won their war against the C.O.P.S. program. For years President Bush has slashed funds to the program, effectively keeping more cops from patrolling our streets,” said Rep. Anthony Weiner (D- Brooklyn & Queens), a member of the Judiciary Committee and author of a bill to reauthorize the C.O.P.S. program.
“At a time of heightened security and increased demands on local law enforcement, it is simply wrong-headed to eliminate the single most effective federal program to hire cops.”
Today, the House passed legislation that will cut all funding for the hiring portion of the C.O.P.S. program. Over the last five years, the Bush Administration and the G.O.P. have cut funding for the program from a $1 billion high in 1998, to $10 million last year, to nothing this year.
Since the C.O.P.S. program’s inception in 1994 New York City has received funding for 7,404 new police officers. Nationally, the C.O.P.S. program has put more than 118,000 cops on the beat in more than 12,000 communities.
According to a GAO study, between 1998 and 2000, C.O.P.S. grants were responsible for reducing crimes by about 200,000 to 225,000 incidents. And in 1998, C.O.P.S. grants were responsible for an 8% decrease in crimes - and a 13% drop in violent crimes.
Earlier this year, the House passed legislation authored by Weiner to reauthorize C.O.P.S. but the Senate has failed to act.
