U.S. Rep. Steven C. LaTourette (R-OH) today announced that legislation he introduced to reauthorize the COPS program and fund 50,000 new police officers nationwide has passed in the House of Representatives. 

H.R. 1139, which LaTourette introduced with U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY), today passed by a vote of 342-78.  The measure is now headed to the Senate for a vote.  LaTourette and Weiner are co-chairs and founders of the Middle Class Caucus, and have worked on COPS legislation in the past.

In addition to providing funding for 50,000 new officers, the bill will allow departments to team up with schools to hire school resource officers, and also includes a Troops-to-COPS provision to move former military personnel into law enforcement.  In addition, it will provide $350 million a year for technology grants and $200 million for community prosecutors.

LaTourette said the COPS program, or community oriented policing program, has been enormously popular with local law enforcement, but grants to hire officers and provide for technology needs were virtually eliminated in recent years. 

He said the recent economic stimulus bill contained $1 billion for a one-time, COPS Hiring program.  The funding will pay for about 5,500 officers nationwide.  LaTourette said the COPS office received applications from about 7,200 departments by last week’s deadline, and departments sought $8.4 billion in funding to hire about 40,000 officers.  With the stimulus program, entry-level pay and benefits are paid for a three-year period and the local department does not have to provide a traditional 25 percent match.  Most applications were for new officers, not to replace laid-off officers, according to the officials at the COPS office in Washington.

“Departments across the country who are hoping to hire or rehire officers with stimulus money are going to be deeply disappointed because there just isn’t enough funding to cover all the requests,” LaTourette said.  “The COPS office was besieged with applications and this demonstrates the need that police departments are facing from coast to coast.”

LaTourette said since 1995 the program has funded more than 200 officers in his district alone, and has provided nearly $20 million in funding to his police departments.  Statewide, the COPS program has funded more than 3,700 officers and sheriff’s deputies, more than 225 school resource officers, and has provided more than $55 million in technology grants for departments. 

“You’d be hard pressed to find a program that is better liked by the law enforcement community and city officials.  More importantly, the COPS program is well run and it’s a stream-lined, effective use of taxpayer money,” he said.

 LaTourette said H.R. 1139 includes $1.8 billion a year for five years, including $1.25 billion for hiring grants, $350 million for technology grants and $200 million for community prosecutors in areas of high crime. The federal government would pay 75 percent of the costs of new officers over three years.